elmhar

Hi LuckyStar,

My 16 yo w/PDD-NOS is also chomping on the bit to get started with the driving. Previously I've taught a teen & young adult to drive, and most recently spent portions of 3 yrs. teaching my DD w/nonverbal learning disorder to drive.

For any wannabe driver, there are some pre-requisites. Consider things like: attention deficits, impulsivity, visual-spatial ability, apraxia issues, ability to follow orally-presented instructions. Some kids may need meds to help with attention or impulsivity. If there are meds that predispose to grogginess (even antihistamines) that needs to be taken into consideration.

Motivation is very important, but so is understanding of the process, so that frustration is minimized. A contract is a good idea -- so many kids today think driving is a right, without responsibility. So, spelling out the responsibilities of both the teacher & the student, is important. It's not uncommon to expect that, in return for the time spent teaching, the driver ed student will take over keeping the car clean.

There are some excellent driver ed manuals out there -- check your public library. Learning how to explain & teach the basic skills, and to do it in a way that matches your child's learning style, is a developing process for most parent-teachers. I'd also recommend the DVD, Rules of the Road, which can be viewed in segments, discussed, re-viewed, etc. It's got some excellent animation graphics that show certain skills, like parallel parking and 4-way stop right of way, from several perspectives. The actors are primarily teens, and the vid as a whole has been well-received by our teens.

In our family, the first step in learning how to drive is practicing basic skills like steering, braking, parking, and turns. These lessons are done in a large, vacant school paring lot in the summer, at about 6 am, no kids or pedestrians, low speed. Once we have consistently good performance on these basics at low speed, we move to residential neighborhood practice. This is usually done around 9 am in the morning, when traffic is very low. Starting at the same low speeds (10-15 mi./hr), we practice driving in lanes, and review the parking lot skills every day, and incorporate traffic signs in the neighborhood. We prepare for meeting the occasional dog, child, and pedestrian on the roadway. As skills mature, we gradually increase speed to the 25 mph limit, when conditions warrant.

Step 3 is practicing the parking lot skills in the neighborhood at progressively busier times of the day, with a little more traffic & the attendant considerations.

Step 4 is branching out into other residential neighborhoods, building confidence & experience at low speeds.

Step 5 is moving onto city arterials. This is generally done at 6 am on Sun. mornings, and all 3 days, very early, on holiday weekend mornings. Very light to no traffic. I teach the "route method," so the student driver becomes familiar with the traffic signals & signs on a given route from A to B. Say, home to school, home to grocery store, home to library, home to church, etc. There are many advantages to teaching one route at a time.

Once a number of routes are "perfected," we start driving them at times when there is a little traffic, then eventually at times when there is moderate traffic.

At this point, we are starting to plan when the road test will be taken. Depending on a student, it may take a season, or years, to get there. But even if a student doesn't go the whole distance to getting a license the first year, every time they take a lesson, they become a more knowledgeable pedestrian, & a more knowledgeable bike rider.

I'm in no great hurry for my son to learn to drive. He has ADD & isn't able to do complex household tasks (clear the table & do the dishes, sort family laundry) without forgetting a lot of things. He is slow to process visual situations. He has a tich of impulsivity, combined with a slow reaction time. He's got teen mouth & attitude. Each of these things brings a special challenge to learning to drive.

BTW, my understanding of school-based driving lessons is that you've usually got a car with 4 teens & a teacher, lots of distractions, and little actual road experience for each student driver. Some familes find that the $250 is better spent on a couple of private lessons before the road test. Insurance companies that offer insurance discounts for driver ed. usually have a home-study option as well.

Good luck! Let us know how you do.