AuDHD 17 year old and driving

[booboo24]

My dd is now 17, she's been desperate to learn to drive since she was 12! She was diagnosed with ADHD and ASD at 14 and 15 respectively. She also has slow processing disorder and receptive language difficulties. She is however becoming more independent by the day, even travelling to college and studying science at A Level.

We have applied for her provisional and thought it best to declare her conditions but the medical form asks 3 questions that might stop her

Do you have any of the following issues which would impact safe driving?

1 memory/learning
2 visual processing
3 distressed behaviour

Is visual processing the same as slow processing?

She struggles to retain information but equally is managing education wise

When overwhelmed she still has meltdowns

It's so hard though because I don't know if she'll actually be safe driving until she tries having some lessons. She's very strict about rule following, she communicates quite well now, and I don't want to hold her back but also obviously want her safe

The GP is of no use at all in this even though the questions are aimed at both the parents and the GP

Has anyone else struggled with this?

She will be safe driving as the instructor has control too, I just wouldn't do practise in your car until she is more experienced. I would get her some private lessons on private land first,the experience type offered to underaged drivers.

My DD is autistic, however very low support needs on the surface of it (and if we didn't have a diagnosis) you would think she'd have no problems driving, but when she gets over stimulated which could quite easily happen driving she loses the ability to make decisions which is integral to driving. There are hundreds of micro decisions required all the time. And if really over stimulated will meltdown.

What I intend to do when she hits driving age is get her the more expensive lessons on private land so she becomes family with the mechanics of driving and then pay for at least a year's worth of 2x 1.5 hour lessons a week, one quiet Sunday morning one busy midweek s she gets to experience as many traffic and weather conditions as possible.

Both my kids have neurodivergent conditions (One ASD and one ADHD), but both managed to learn to drive with minimal issues.

My ASD child had to take the theory 6 times before they passed it, but my ADHD child passed 1st time.

My ASD child passed the practical driving test 1st time, but my ADHD child had a few practical tests before they passed it.

So both had minor 'difficulties', but both had their own 'strengths' too?

It simply took a little longer for them to master the areas they were finding harder?

They've both been driving now for several years, with no issues at all.

I'd say go into it with an open mind, as time will tell whether the difficulties they may (or may not !) experience, can be overcome with extra time/lessons etc.

I'd think that the strict adherence to 'rules' and a preference for following the steps required in driving is a definite plus.

@HPandthelastwish and @Whatbloodysummer thank you both so much, that's really encouraging to hear. I'm concerned about the form though as I need to be honest, but in all fairness I have no idea whether it will impact her driving until she tries. Like you have said, the driving instructor would be best placed to answer these questions!!

Book those under aged lessons you don't need a licence and speak to the person running it about the form.

I don't think that she would meet the criteria for the memory learning one. To me that would be people with severe learning difficulties that don't retain information, visual processing I'd view as about vision issues rather than processing, distressed behaviour - possibly this one depending on how she melts down.

However, things change with time, now might not be a good time to learn but perhaps 21 or 25 would be better once she's out of the teenage years and hormones which can massively impact autism have settled down.

When she does learn it doesn't have to be all or nothing, she may be happy and safe pottering around in her local familiar roads but prefer to take public transport for longer journeys etc.

A couple of young driver lessons could be a good idea.

Someone could have slow visual processing, but not everyone with slow processing will be slow at processing visual information. Some with ASD do have visual processing difficulties, e.g. some struggle with knowing where objects are in space and, for some, this can be related to visual processing difficulties.

Someone could also have difficulties with memory and learning but still be academically able. For example, DS3 has an excellent long term memory which masks a very poor working memory. This accounts for some of his difficulties.

Visual processing isn't the same as language processing (which I'm assuming is difficulty your daughter has been diagnosed with?) Visual processing is the coordination between eye and brain and how the brain processes visual information e.g seeing a potential hazard in the road or beside the road and reacting accordingly.
Memory / learning difficulty is a combination of short and long term memory, processing information and carrying out the necessary tasks, if your daughter passed enough GCSEs to do A level then this doesn't apply. As the above poster mentioned this would be someone with quite a significant learning disability, or an acquired cognitive disability such as dementia, sometimes a stroke (depending on which part of the brain sustained damage) tumour, head injury etc.
distressed behaviour, very unlikely to be relevant to her diagnosis, but it will depend on her responses to stressful situations, as driving is stressful, and you need to keep a cool head at all times although plenty of people don't as an example how would she react to taking the wrong turn / getting lost? Would she panic, or would she take a deep breath, remember all roads lead to Rome, and carry on? Ditto to unexpected events, long delays or blue lights and sirens rushing through, would she panic or would she be okay?
If you are still ensure, you could look into a private OT assessment; Check the OT can assess for driving.

Unsure not ensure

Someone with difficulties with memory &/or learning doesn’t always have severe learning difficulties and some can still be academically able enough for GCSEs and A levels.