Driving: How Can You Prepare?
Most of us can reflect back and remember the day we received our drivers license. The work we put in studying and practicing driving that helped prepare us for that scary but exciting day at the DMV. However, for those with exceptional needs this process may look different. As parents you’ve worked hard to keep your family safe with traveling in your vehicle, on the school bus or even navigating public transportation. So how do you know if driving will be a possibility? How do you know if they will be ready?
Where to Start
Discuss with your pediatrician/family physician
Start preparing with your therapy team
Schedule an evaluation with a driving rehab specialist in your area
Occupational therapists specialize with training for community mobility including driving readiness for adolescents, driving safety fitness and driving adaptation training. Working within your therapy team they can address the skills necessary for safe driving potential. Driving Rehab Specialists/Certified Driving Rehab Specialists are typically therapists or driving instructors with extensive education and training in driving. These Driving Rehab Specialists can conduct a driving evaluation to assess potential for driving. This process typically includes a clinical evaluation and a behind the wheel assessment if appropriate.
Skills Commonly Reviewed
Physical & Motor Function
Vision & Perception
Attention & Problem Solving
Memory & Organizational Planning
Ability to Multi-Task
Reaction Time
Driving Knowledge & Performance
After their evaluation, the Driving Rehab Specialist will determine if there is potential to drive independently, whether there is a need for any vehicle modifications and whether driver rehab training is needed.
If you’d like to find a Driving Rehab Specialist in your area click here
If you’d like to identify which services your family is appropriate for, you can review the Spectrum of Driver Services and Driver Rehabilitation Programs with your physician/therapy team.
For more diagnosis specific information in relation to driving, refer to the Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists driving fact sheets below:
For any other questions, please feel free to reach out via email at Aubrey@collaborativecorner.org
Aubrey Kohler OTR/L, DRS
Director of Community Affairs
Aubrey@collaborativecorner.org