My son has ADD and Aspberger's. He takes Concerta. He didn't show any interest in learning to drive when he turned 16, so we put it off until he starting saying that he'd better get his license. We signed him up at a driving school. Now that the weather has cleared up, I've taken him out a few times on my own and was concerned about some of his driving "techniques." I called his teacher who said that he could tell that my son was ADD by the third lesson. He said that it was better for ADD people to drive unmedicated....not easy when he'll be driving back and forth to school and, after graduating, to a job. He also said that he feels that people with ADD should not be issued driver's licenses at all! He said that the more at ease Add-ers get on the road, the more apt they are to "drift off" into their own thoughts.

What experiences do other people have with teaching their teens to drive and how good their teens drive?

Here are some interesting articles and websites related to this very topic!

http://www.driesen.com/adhd,_adolescents,_and_driving.htm
http://www.additudemag.com/ourkids.asp?DEPT_NO=304&SUB_NO=1
http://add.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa082402a.htm
http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=413
http://www.childadvocate.net/ADHD_drivers.htm

Sounds to me like the Driving school instructor needs to educate himself a bit more about AD/HD. The Study in the ADDitude magazine said that the teens on AD/HD medication drove worse but that was just one study. If AD/HD medcation really made people drive worse we would have heard more about it by now since that study was done atleast 3 years ago.

I got my liscence at 16 1/2 and was a very cautious driver. I was 23 before I got into an accident which wasn't even my fault.

I remember my driver's ed Teacher telling me I was not ready for my liscense and I need at least 3 more lessons. MY mother said they just wanted more money. I passed my driver's test on my 1st try.

I had a lot driving restrictions from my parents and theye put a lot of fear in me too. I loved driving and my idependence so I didn't do anything stupid.

I think people with out AD/HD don't really understand they way we multi-task. I admit I day dream when I drive and I always have. I also used to day dream while I played complicated video games that I did very well at.


Also the Drving school teachers used to make me soooo nervous. My mother did too...lol I drove a lot better with my father in the car than my mom. And once I started driving by myself I learned to drive a lot better.

Hi,

There is an excellent book, titled "AD/HD & Driving: A Guide for Parents of Teens with AD/HD" , by Dr. Marlene Synder. You can order it www.whitefishconsultants.com/books.html

Terry

So far I have not let my daughter attempt drivers education. However, I have been giving it more thought and will probably allow her to do so this summer. I will have to get back to this afterwards to let you know how she does. :)

The ADDA conference had a session on AD/HD and Driving this past year. The tape can be ordered through http://www.add.org

The number of this tape session is ADDA-B14

I am 28, and since I've been medicated, I only drive when I'm medicated coz I can see a huge difference in my ability to concertrate and see everything properly.