Find a Laid Back and CALM Instructor
Driving Is a Social Act
Driving requires following the rules and cooperating with other drivers . Obeying rules is generally not a problem for autistic individuals who may take comfort in the structured black-and-white thinking . The problem is that many rules , when it comes to driving , fall into the grey area and require flexibility and taking context into account . For example , if a yellow light means that you are supposed to slow down , why do so many drivers speed up to get through it ? Cooperating with other drivers involves reading nonverbal social cues . On the road , that happens through the “ gestures ’’ drivers make through the motion of their cars — by changing lanes boldly or hesitantly , for instance . Those motions amount to signals flashed from driver to driver so routinely that most people are hardly aware of the messages being sent , but someone on the spectrum may not intuitively receive them . Another aspect is how a person reacts to the emotions of other drivers . How do you react if another driver shouts at you or uses a rude gesture ? Will the driver respond appropriately if pulled over by police ? How would the autistic individual respond if other drivers were not abiding by the rules of the road as precisely as he believes they should ? These social and emo-
Find a Laid Back and CALM Instructor
“ I did not yet have an autism spectrum diagnosis when I was learning to drive . I also have panic attacks and am stereoblind . I don ’ t remember the name of my first driving instructor . I only remember that he lost patience and yelled at me when I started getting anxious . My first driving lesson ended with a dangerous panic attack and meltdown . My parents fired the mean driving instructor on the spot and replaced him with a guy named Hawaiian Bob . Hawaiian Bob was the perfect driving instructor . He was very laid back and calm . If I made a mistake , he would quietly tell me how to correct it , and he gave me detailed , concrete instructions for how to handle all the situations that happen while driving . To this day , if I start to get stressed out behind the wheel , I just think to myself , “ what would Hawaiian Bob do ?” I highly recommended that any Autistic person learning to drive find an instructor like Hawaiian Bob and avoid driving instructors like the mean , angry first one I had .”
:: Katherine Hall , autistic self-advocate
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