Driving with ADHD ASD and Slow Processing

[Purplepeople12]

My daughter, just coming up to 15, was diagnosed in year 5 with Slow Processing Disorder, then last year with ADHD and this year with ASD. She has been counting the days down until she can get her driving licence, but I am so worried, worried she'll have an accident but also worried that she'll never be allowed to drive anyway and having to tell her that

Please could anyone let me know their experiences are with this? Thank you

[Jules912]

I don't know about the other 2 but for ASD I asked my doctor before I started learning as the DVLA said you had to notify if it affects your driving. The doctor basically said that if i could pass the test then it didn't affect my driving.

[PinkBuffalo]

I am very slow with dyspraxia and also autism
i did learn to drive in an automatic with a man that was a driving instructor for people with special needs
i did pass but I even all those years later find it incredibly stressful and I never know where I am. I drive every day to work the same route but other then that walk or use the train as I just feel like it is impossible for me

[Purplepeople12]

Thank you so much to you both. @Jules912 That's a good point, if she's not able to drive safely then it will be picked up whilst learning.

@PinkBuffalo Excellent, I can have a look around for an instructor who may be more clued up for her when the time comes. I think that this may be the way forward for my daughter. We live very rurally, there's only 1 bus out and 1 back in a day so I feel she will need some sort of way of getting around independently, and learning to drive has been something she's looked forward to ever since her older sister lesrnt 3 years ago. She struggles with public transport, especially alone, due to the noise but it sounds like there are ways around all of this.

[PinkBuffalo]

Good luck 🤞
Hope she gets on well with it it is good she is looking forward to it! I only had to learn cos they moved my job somewhere you could not get to lol
i lucky cos I got train not far from me I would be screwed without it lol

[AffIt]

A friend of mine (who is also ND) is a driving instructor and specialises in teaching people with intellectual / learning disabilities to drive.

She is very, very clear up front about managing peoples' expectations: it may take longer, there may be multiple resits and if she feels that somebody really doesn't have the cognitive capability, she will be honest about it.

[Purplepeople12]

Thanks @PinkBuffalo & @AffIt x