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Autism and The Driving Age

kimkaplan0

Autism and The Driving Age

My son is almost sixteen. In California, a teenager who turns fifteen and a half can, technically, get a learners permit to drive a car.

What about my son?

He doesn’t have his learners permit.

Not yet.

What’s the plan?

My husband and I discussed our plan for when our son could attempt to obtain a learners permit and eventually learn how to drive.

We are not against it. We feel he could someday drive a car.

Our plan is for our son to wait.

We told him that he could attempt to get his drivers permit the summer before his senior year in high school when he’s seventeen.

Why are we having him wait?

First, this doesn’t really have a direct connection to autism.

I feel any people with autism could and should have an opportunity to learn to drive. Driving is freedom. That’s what it meant to me as a sixteen-year-old.

I’m all for it when it comes to my child.

Second, my husband and I agreed that we would like our son to be a bit more mature.

This includes how he gets easily distracted.

Third, he also continues to work on some anger issues when game playing. I would love to see an improvement on any anger issues because no one wants a driver behind the wheel of a car with anger issues.

Finally, my son has a tendency to jump into an opportunity just because he thinks he wants it. Then, sometimes reality hits. He realizes whatever it is might not be for him.

Hopefully, when he’s seventeen (and a half) he’ll be both mentally and psychology ready. Of course, we’ll support him and help him achieve this goal because he not only wants to drive someday, but we believe he can do it.

FYI… Yes, some of the issues that my sixteen-year-old with autism face RE: learning how to drive are because of his autism.

However, some of them aren’t. Some of these issues are just a kid who is not ready yet for this advanced challenge. I believe many typical young people have some of these issues as well as many typical kids aren’t that interested in driving at all. (I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel!)

I believe in his own time, he’ll be just fine behind the wheel of a car.

Autism and The Driving Age

 

More on Kimberly Kaplan:

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Twitter: tipsautismmom

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As Kim and her husband cared for their son with autism, Kim was led back into writing. She wrote about her son's journey with autism which includes her son's struggles, the parental learning curve, their good fortunes...and a myriad of missteps. The resulting book "A Parents' Guide to Early Autism Intervention" has helped many parents with young children on the autism spectrum. She followed that book with another autism-related book, "Two Years of Autism Blogs Featured on ModernMom.com." Kim continues to be active in the autism world. She blogs weekly for Modernmom.com as well as her own website. Her screenplay writing has blossomed with the addition of many autistic characters. She was featured on Shannon Penrod's show, "Autism Live." She volunteers and attends conferences as well as helps parents whenever she can.