Pediatric Reflections: Offering Guidance to Families of Autistic Youth Who Want to Drive
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Contributed by: Allison E. Curry, PhD, MPH
Although prior driving simulator studies suggested that young autistic drivers may be at heightened risk for motor vehicle crashes, a recent CHOP study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry found that newly licensed drivers on the autism spectrum have similar—or even lower—per-driver rates of crash involvement than their non-autistic peers. They also have substantially lower rates of moving violations and license suspensions than other young drivers. Among those involved in a crash, young autistic drivers were half as likely to crash due to speeding but more likely to crash while making left- or U-turns and failing to yield.
While future research still needs to be conducted to determine whether the crash patterns are attributable to different driving patterns, a greater affinity to follow the rules of the road, or an active effort by families to balance independence and driving risk, our findings suggest that young autistic drivers may establish driving patterns that balance independent mobility and risk; thus, bringing their likelihood of crashing in line with their non-autistic peers.
What we do know is that young autistic drivers may need rigorous, tailored instruction and other support to develop the range of skills needed to acquire licensure, particularly in more challenging traffic scenarios. But, once they do, they’re on their way to becoming safe, independent drivers.
Families rely on clinicians like you to provide guidance for their adolescents with autism who may be interested in driving. You can encourage these families to:
Access transportation mobility resources from TeenDriverSource.org and the Center for Autism Research at CHOP.
Curry AE, Metzger KB, Carey ME, Sartin EB, Huang P, Yerys BE. Comparison of Motor Vehicle Crashes, Traffic Violations, and License Suspensions Between Autistic and Non-autistic Adolescent and Young Adult Drivers. [Published online ahead of print January 13, 2021.] Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Allison E. Curry, PhD, MPH, is an assistant professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Emergency Medicine and a senior scientist in the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention.
Contributed by: Allison E. Curry, PhD, MPH
Categories: Children's Doctor Spring 2021, Pediatric Reflections