Pre-driving evaluation of a teen with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens, and those teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder (ADHD/ASD) may have a greater crash risk. PURPOSE: This case study compared the pre-driving skills of a teen with ADHD/ASD to an age- and gender-matched healthy control (HC). METHOD: Data were collected from performance on clinical tests and on a driving simulator. FINDINGS: The main impairments of the teen with ADHD/ASD were the ability to shift attention, perform simple sequential tasks, integrate visual-motor responses, and coordinate motor responses, whereas the HC demonstrated intact skills in these abilities. The teen with ADHD/ASD made 44 driving errors during the drive, and the HC made 17. The teen with ADHD/ASD had more lane maintenance, visual scanning, and speeding errors compared to the HC. IMPLICATIONS Teens with ADHD/ASD may have more pre-driving deficits and may require a certified driving rehabilitation specialist to assess readiness to drive, but a larger study is needed to confirm this.