Can an autistic get a driver's license?

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Dear_one
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23 Apr 2017, 2:32 pm

gee_dee wrote:
In theory, yes. In practice, it depends on how severely it affects you.

I'm positive that under the right circumstances I could easily pass my test and make a good driver, it's just that I've never yet encountered the right circumstances. I attempted "normal" driving lessons twice, once for a car and once for a moped, because I didn't think "special" lessons were relevant to me. I thought that everyone has to adhere to the same rules anyway so what's the point... however I soon found it very difficult being in a confined space with a stranger for long periods of time, and then with the moped lessons I'm almost entirely certain that they took my lack of conversation-making as "lack of confidence" and kept bringing me back in for lessons without ever being specific as to what I needed to do, before I eventually just quit in frustration because I was sick of going in there and let them keep the money. It had a real "boys club" atmosphere so I have a feeling that had something to do with it too. I ended up going in about six times because of this mysterious "lack of confidence" when it was originally supposed to be a one-day lesson.

If I tried again I'd probably have to go for those special lessons after all, if only to not throw away more money, because lessons are very expensive.


"Lack of confidence" sounds like "hesitant" which upsets the flow of traffic. To move with others, we need to see the pattern and anticipate how to progress without causing disruptions. Have you mastered bicycling? A moped is an easy step up from an electroped, which requires no license.
You may be able to learn from books and practice on empty pavement, or you may be able to find a volunteer to help you learn as you share rides. Another aspie might do it the easy way for you.



Sarcasm248
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24 Apr 2017, 5:41 pm

Yes.

All it takes is effort. Just about everyone can/does drive, which indicates how easy it is.



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24 Apr 2017, 6:20 pm

i felt the same when i was getting my license. now i drive 30 wheeler semi trucks for a living. and i am very autistic.

anything's possible if you're dedicated to it


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24 Apr 2017, 6:23 pm

Sarcasm248 wrote:
Yes.

All it takes is effort. Just about everyone can/does drive, which indicates how easy it is.


40 years before I knew I was autistic, and 40 years before I had ever heard of Executive dysfunction or sensory sensitivities I had to give it up due to what I now know as Executive Dysfunctions well as coordination issues which I now know could be caused by vestibular(balance) and proprioception(Body Awareness) sensory issues.


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Dear_one
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24 Apr 2017, 7:05 pm

A friend was trying to teach his probably-NT wife how to drive in her 40s. Her parents had been very afraid of her hurting herself, and so she'd never really run around as a kid. After many trips up and down their rural driveway, he asked her to drive around the potholes. She asked how.
Traps abound. I once helped an artist get a job as a cab driver. He went out the first night doing his best impression of a cab driver, driving faster than usual, and promptly totalled the car.



JohnnyLurg
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24 Apr 2017, 8:35 pm

Sarcasm248 wrote:
Yes.

All it takes is effort. Just about everyone can/does drive, which indicates how easy it is.


Easy in this case is a subjective term. There are autistic people who can and will never get their driver's licenses due to their poor motor and concentration skills, myself included.



germanium
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24 Apr 2017, 11:49 pm

I am autistic (PDD/NOS) & I have a commercial drivers license. There is another guy on our crew with even more difficulties than me & who is most definitely autistic who also has a commercial drivers license. His is more of the classic autism type & definitely has stronger autism characteristics than me. Mine is quite mild though but still makes for very significant difficulties at times. Poor short term memory, poor coordination, mild to moderate sensory issues, huge emotional issues at times, PTSD, myoclonus (a very mild epileptiform disorder that does not cause loss of consciousness, only muscle spasms that feel like someone poked you in the back with an electric cattle prod just strong enough to cause fairly large scale but very brief spasm) & difficulty focusing on anything that is not on my short list of special interests.

Fortunately Autism brings certain abilities as well & I can use some of them to compensate for weaknesses. I used my exceptional mechanical comprehension to figure out ways to compensate for my general lack of coordination, as a result I drive quite differently from most truck drivers especially when it come to shifting gears. As a result of my mechanical comprehension I can shift much faster than the average truck driver in most cases especially in the lower range gears yet I'm very easy on the drive train & have very few breakdowns, virtually none drive train related!! ! I'm able to see & evaluate drive train stresses in my head & find ways to minimize them & still get near equal performance if not even better than the average driver.



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25 Apr 2017, 1:28 am

This might be mildly off-topic, but if you find yourself failing a bunch of tests, try another local DMV. I failed like 5 times at one, went to another and immediately passed. It kind of feels like you're cheating the system, but you're not.



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25 Apr 2017, 2:14 am

JohnnyLurg wrote:
Sarcasm248 wrote:
Yes.

All it takes is effort. Just about everyone can/does drive, which indicates how easy it is.


Easy in this case is a subjective term. There are autistic people who can and will never get their driver's licenses due to their poor motor and concentration skills, myself included.


I got my license. My test was taken on side streets. Totally different in the multitasking world of Long Island traffic


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Dear_one
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25 Apr 2017, 2:54 am

There was a farmer who had driven since he was a boy. Then he drove to LA, and it took him an hour and a half of sheer terror to get off the freeway. Every region has its own driving habits. Here, there is little traffic, so people don't learn to pass or merge quickly, but you can trust them to control a sliding car. We keep in practice for the snow on gravel turns, and learn other tricks that are not on the test, especially how to avoid wildlife. Mumbai requires almost completely different skills. To get through St. Louis, I drove at Toronto speed, passing all the locals. I had to do that because I didn't have time to both look for route markers and watch my mirrors.



bjornflanagan
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25 Apr 2017, 3:03 am

I have my license. My driver's ed counted as my driving test so all I had to do is take the written test. Haven't had to take a driving test since, so... 17 years now. My biggest problem is assessing distance of oncoming traffic; I'll end up waiting for a car that I thought was moving fast but it was plenty of time to turn. I have particular routes I take and the flow of traffic can make me extremely frustrated. Driving is stressful but necessary for me though. I think it's worth the effort to overcome hindrances. I value the autonomy it grants.


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29 Sep 2017, 12:57 pm

I got my license at age 26 because the bus route I relied on to get to work was canceled. I bought lessons. My driving teacher was a former elementary school teacher. It was/is anxiety-provoking to drive a vehicle. The struggle is real. I have found it a useful skill at times but it is a big expense.



Dear_one
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29 Sep 2017, 2:14 pm

hobojungle wrote:
I got my license at age 26 because the bus route I relied on to get to work was canceled. I bought lessons. My driving teacher was a former elementary school teacher. It was/is anxiety-provoking to drive a vehicle. The struggle is real. I have found it a useful skill at times but it is a big expense.


Have you compared that expense to using taxis? I used to use a bike most of the time, but if I had a big load or a passenger, I'd take a cab. It seemed extravagant at the point of use, but overall, saved a lot.



Noca
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29 Sep 2017, 2:38 pm

Got my license when I was 16 though failed the written part once (due to stupid mulitple choice questions like how many feet should you park away from a fire hydrant: 8,10,12, or 15ft, useless figures I never bothered to memorize) and passed both driving tests first time.

I don't own my own car anymore, I just either use Uber or I rent a car using my Capital One card for like $23/day off a discount website. It is much cheaper than owning a car because I don't have anywhere I have to travel to daily like work or school.



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29 Sep 2017, 9:01 pm

I just passed my exam for my driver's license renewal today. I was really nervous, but I did it.



adoylelb90815
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29 Sep 2017, 10:59 pm

I've had a driver's license since I was about 28, as I live in southern California where it really is a necessity. I can take the light rail train on occasion to and from work, which is something I do at least once a month, but I still prefer to drive myself.