Can Autistic People DRIVE? | Woodshed Theory

Hi! I’m Claire, and this is my channel, Woodshed Theory. Here you will find the awkward ramblings of an adult autist. I love being creative and sharing my experiences with you. Subscribe to see more DIYs, Discussions, and Bunnies on your feed!
Autism has A LOT of stereotypes. One I hear about sometimes is that autistic people aren't able to drive. Well, can we? Today I am talking about if autistic people are able to drive and what my experience has been behind the wheel. I hope my point comes across and that is that we are all different and each have our own abilities.
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[@trekker105]

I can drive, but I'm either an 85 year old grandma or a 16 year old borrowing his brother's Mustang.

[@joemacy2776]

I'm autistic, and I drive. I got my permit at 19 and my license at almost 24. It took me four tries to pass the permit test, but I passed the drive test on the first try. A lot of people were concerned about me learning how to drive because of my autism, and I felt like it was a little discriminatory. At least my mom believed in me.

[@JAMESGREGORYKULP1985]

Hello Claire. I am 36 years old and I am on the Autism spectrum I have PDD-NOS. And I can drive. I have a Driver's license. And I used to have a car but I couldn't afford to keep my car.

[@AztralPhoenix]

I can so relate to this. I passed my test lately and have autism + high functioning anxiety. It was all thanks to a patient instructor and super patient tester.

[@gregoryburne5251]

Good driver... when im focussed. Its my "computer game", with real consequences, so i try to anticipate as much as possible, ie: every car in my vicinity is going to do something stupid. On my motorcycle, its the above X5, bc everyone in cars WILL do something stupid.

[@TentoesMe]

I was driving 40 years before I found out that I am autistic. Learning was not really a big issue. I just did driver's ed in school like everyone else. I have learned to recognise when I am getting triggered and stop for a few minutes. Stuck in traffic is a problem, and I will often look for a place to stop when I get past the jam. I live in a small town, but have no trouble driving to the city, or taking a long road trip. I usually do not play the radio. Oh, and life is easier to deal with barefoot👣

[@drose3900]

I can relate to everything you said. Only driving on quiet roads, staying away from highways, pulling your seat all the way up. I love your videos

[@nunyerbizness9598]

I can drive but prefer not to. I commuted over an hour to work for a while and hated it, so now I live a ten minute walk from work. I would recommend anyone at all able learn to drive. I also learned in empty parking lots and that helped a lot.

[@orionkelly]

Great topic. Everyone is different. For example I could not set up a shot that shows the reflection of a candle in a mirror. If after a few lessons my dad took me to the cemetery I’d run like Forrest Gump.

[@Michael-it6gb]

I just can't stand public transportation and packed with all the people inside. So driving is essential.

[@chrisnorman5558]

Really interesting. My autism / ADHD often presents itself as sensory overload and, though technically I can drive, driving is a huge source of stress for me. I particularly hate complex junctions and parking manoeuvres as I have issues with spatial awareness (poss. dyspraxia?!) and visualising what I need to do in a 3D space. Improvising and interpreting during complicated situations is really stressful.

[@sarahleony]

I got my license at 18, as is customary in Germany. Quick aside: it continues to boggle my mind that in the US you don't have to go to an actual driving school but can just be taught by your parents (many of whom arguably are not great drivers themselves), but anyway ;) After getting my license I barely ever drove for 2 years because it was just SO overwhelming to me. Finally I switched to an automatic transmission car and that helped a lot because it took the whole gear shifting out of the "needs my constant attention" equation. Today I'm a fairly good driver but I still get incredibly anxious if I have to drive unfamiliar roads, especially in and around big cities. And let's not talk about driving at night/in the rain.

[@emmajane2958]

Thank you for talking about this! My driving experience is actually very similar to yours. I am autistic and started learning how to drive with my parents when I was 15, but I didn't know I was autistic then. It took me a long time to get fully comfortable driving. But I found myself eventually feeling very comfortable with driving, however, also like you, I have very bad anxiety that never really goes away. I can drive pretty comfortably on roads with fewer cars but get easily overwhelmed in more heavy traffic because of all the stimuli- honking, lots of cars doing all different things, other people in the car if there are any. You have to be aware of a lot all at once, which is difficult when you can't easily filter things out.

[@brycegipple387]

I was diagnosed with autism at age 3 (I’m 26 now).

[@brainchildren7140]

I’m autistic and used to drive but stopped when I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Tbh, I always hated driving and felt way too overwhelmed doing it, so when my neurologist said he thought the migraines I was having were actually seizures (and driving/bright lights tended to trigger them) I gladly stopped driving lol. It’s been about 3 years since and I really want to try driving again so I can have some independence, but there’s a good chance I’ll just never really feel comfortable driving longer distances again. Driving at higher speeds makes me feel dizzy and disoriented, often my vision gets blurry and I feel weird like I’m underwater or outside of my body. Not sure if this is just sensory overload or what, but I’m learning to try to work with my limitations and offer myself accommodations rather than force myself to keep up with doing things that make me feel sick. Thanks for sharing your experience with this topic!

[@deborahallen8540]

Yes I do drive.. I was told that I ASD in my thirty years old. my dad tough me too drive just to make shut up don't take no for a answer. Driving is my freedom to get to work and other places. . Look at going to driving school and make sure you are ready for diving and it's right for you.🤗🎉🎈👍

[@tomasvoldrich]

I have my 3 rules for better driving with smaller chance of car crash:

[@bashparty8429]

I have Autism and I don’t drive but I want too, but because of my disability my mother never taught me to drive and she never will , she believes autism people will never drive because of they endanger themselves, but I really want to go to driving school when I move out.

[@whitneymason406]

I grew up in MT and took driver's ed which really helped. Last summer we moved to PA and I'm still trying to adjust to driving with so many people around! I have a few routes I'm comfortable with but I can't drive to the city or on the highway. Any change in the environment such as snow, rain, wind, or night time makes me even more anxious about driving. Great video topic! 👍

[@jimdegray9366]

I’m autistic, 42 and have not been able to drive with all the sensory, irritability, depression and anxiety struggles. Now I also have poor vision and hearing and some other things I have going on I’m trying to find out what it is from my doctors.