Driving Test.

School put me in solitary in the LIBRARY. I loved it...

If your kid can drive and has all the knowledge and skills and drives O.K. but is just fluffing the tests like mine was (4 in row before they finally asked me to help), then it's psychology that needs fixing.

And that's what I did.

First I let her drive me about and I observed her. I could see that some road situations made her really nervous and that lead to hesitation, which is no good but she could drive well enough, apart from getting onto an island and turning right.

Once I'd taught her how to use the vehicle on the right as a shield for entering islands (It's been making it easy for me for forty years!) and a few other workload reducing tips, the driving got visibly easier for her, so at that point I started adding pressure in the form of becoming an increasingly distracting and annoying passenger. By the end of the week she could not only drive fairly well but she could do it automatically whist complaining about or dealing with my antics, and me being a right PITA. Don't get me wrong, I had to be careful not to actually overload her, and only inflict distractions when it was "safe" to do so, but she's got ADD she's going to HAVE to drive well whilst being "distracted". Periodically I'd test her situation awareness, (I'd already got her doing a regular scan of all three mirrors, and taught her to lean forwards to check the blind spots),  

Needless to say, the next examiner and test she took, turned out to be a lot less like hard work than the previous week with me...

ADD for me as a driver means that I need to keep my focus on the driving at all times, in order to remain "safe" I found. To remain hyper focussed driving has to be absorbing and interesting for me, which is why on the very first safe opportunity I see, I will overtake.

I count the seconds when I am held to five or ten MPH below the averaging speed limit, and observe the cameras, and when I've got a few seconds of "speeding" in the bank, it gives me a legitimate opportunity for advancement, within the limits imposed by safety and "grace" (a mix of courtesy and style).

Doing this holds my attention wonderfully on driving safely and correctly of course.

Situational awareness is the key for us ADD people when driving. And we can get very good at it compared to the normies... 

Autonomistic said:

 The physical coordination needed to drive and change gears etc is extremely challenging at first, especially with dyspraxia. At least the last one does get easier with practice and experience.

Totally agree with this - repetition builds the neural pathways in the brain to turn actions into habits.

I've taught a few family members to drive and my brother in law was the most difficult - teenage boy with ADHD etc and he was very capable but had trouble learing the things to look out for.

I used a technique where I kept a wooden ruler in my hand and after I had seen something ahead that could be a risk I would wait a second or two and if he didn't tell me that he spotted a risk (I just got him to say "car, bike, person, dog etc for quickness) then I would give him a modest whack on the leg.

It was just enough to make him wince and to avoid it he soon became much better at scanning for threats - at least until he passed his test and I let him break the ruler.

Sometimes we need to think differently when the people we work with are different.

Such abuse may not be acceptable these days mind you...

Can you take him out for driving practice without giving him any instructions at all? Presumably if he is at test stage he already knows what to do. Unless he's about to cause a pile up say nothing at all. If he could get comfortable driving without any verbal distractions it might help. 

It took me 8 attempts over several years before I finally passed my test. Like your son I needed to drive for work and that pressure just added to the anxiety. I got there in the end so I would say keep going.

There are so many challenges with driving in addition to the debilitating anxiety. Processing verbal instructions is very difficult and there can be too much information at once from signs etc. The physical coordination needed to drive and change gears etc is extremely challenging at first, especially with dyspraxia. At least the last one does get easier with practice and experience.

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner,  I didn’t know there are instructors that specialise in neurodiversity training. I’m going to have a Google now and see what I can find. I’ve noticed that if I give him an instruction, he takes no notice, if I give the instruction too early, it’s gone from his head or too late and he doesn’t process it in time. End result is then anger or anxiety.  His boss has offered to pay for an intensive course, I just don’t think he would process it all. I was a coach driver for 30 years, my road knowledge and driving skills are good, with me being autistic, I struggle to relay it to him.

I can understand completely. In that case, when doing the test. Having him have no distractions like a phone, for example, as well as having him do breathing exercises beforehand, can really help control anxiety. As well, when doing the test, having a strategy helps. Tell him to click once when a hazard is developing, once when it's active and another one when it just happens. (One-second gap, this will help get max points.) This will help him understand and give him a sort of structure in his head. But as they say, practice makes perfect. Hope this helps.

Thanks for replying, to be honest, when he was in school I didn’t know I’m autistic then, I was living in my confusing hell, my wife is a full time nurse and had to do all the family stuff as well. My son just slipped through the net. School just put him in a solitary cubicle, you can imagine what that does to someone with ADHD. We have got the Highway Code part of it sorted, it’s the hazard perception that he struggles with, he struggles with holding his attention. I’m going to get some clips on a computer so he can just do as you said, about 5 minutes at a time. 

I have ADHD, and I am studying for my theory test. Due to perhaps negative reinforcement from school and outside sources, he associated studying as bad and "what's the point." beliefs (I sure did) start small. Perhaps ask him when he is free during the day to pick up his highway code and read one Rule every day, time it with a stopwatch or countdown timer (1-2 minutes,) and then talk about it afterwards with positive reinforcement, which should help him associate learning with rewards. At least this helped me.

If your son is confident and capable when driving in lessons then it looks like where you need to focus on is the stress of the test itself.

Does he have any medication for anxiety? If not then I would consider speaking to your GP to get something to help with this. My therapist suggested a drug with the active ingredient of bupropion hydrochloride which she understands is widely used with ASD patients because it works well with the nature of the anxiety we experience.

You can find a lot more about this by researching one of the brand names which use this ingredient - wellbutrin  (I no connection to the company and I strongly recomment speaking to your doctor before even considering using it on your son).

I believe it does not cause "dullness" in the same way many other anti-depressants do, but works to block the checmicals that trigger the anxiety. Please do your own research if you are interested.

Failing that, maybe hipnosys could get him into a state of mind when he feels confident on the day.

Good luck to you both.

It's an ADHD/atttitude problem, my daughter had the same thing.

Do you want to throw money at the problem? I reckon I can fix it.

Hi Roy, I have been an Approved Driving Instructor for nearly 18 years, Grade ‘A’ and can empathise with your boy’s situation. 

If there is such a thing in your area look for an ADI who specialises in neurodiversity training as there are coaches who do this. They can ask specific questions that can allow their candidates to open up about how they feel about driving, what they’re thinking of at the moment they spot a hazard, how to deal with road signs when they see them, etc.

Changing DTCs (Driving Test Centres) will not make any difference as reading the road appropriately will be as much of a challenge in a local area as opposed to a new area.  You just never know what some people will do on your own doorstep. 

Changing ADIs, however, to one who has the skills to manage your son’s abilities and expectations is definitely a positive step. 

Good luck  

That's a lot of pressure for him to have to cope with. I would say study. Study everything about the test, watch videos if he wants. The test is hard and he'll pass at some point, it took me 12 times before I got it right and passed (I have a manual license). Study it indefinitely and keep trying. He'll get it eventually and it will have been worth it.

I was able to pass, on a standard, 16 years ago; aged 28. (16 Years ago this July) But it was Hell getting through the test. Now, Cookstown is far busier, and more chaotic on the road. On Monday, there was a young girl doing her test who was hit at a dual mini roundabout. I heard about it in the Art Class I attended on Wednesday night.

Even, this afternoon, I drove to Portadown to head to The Range. I was on the wrong lane at traffic lights, but was able to get on the correct lane; just in time. Belfast would be even worse for me, the Taxi Men are forever giving off at those in the wrong lane.

Perhaps your son needs time before he is ready to pass. Perhaps, he should drink chamomile tea, before the test, to calm his nerves. 

I can understand him wanting to drive so much. I pased my test at 17, and drove a BlackCab for about 30yrs, when i had to give up my licence about 10yrs ago 'cos of eyesight problems, i felt as if i'd had my legs chopped off. I use to joke with people, the last time i was on a bus, it was 6d into town.

I would definitely take them up on that offer - that’s wonderful of them. They must think well of him. 

Thanks, the next test will be no.6. His boss has offered to pay for an intensive course, that might be the way to go.

I was hugely anxious about the test and I think that’s partly why had to take my test many times - I passed on my 6th attempt! So if it’s any comfort he might still manage it - eventually. Sorry I can’t help in terms of strategies - but I’d say keep persevering and hopefully he’ll get there eventually. 

Ops, just seen that you have already tried that.

Have you considered trying a different driving test centre. As failing may bring up those feeling, when at the same test centre. Our daughter is ready for her test, we had to get medication for her anxienty, before she could enjoy lessons, as she used to be similar before a lesson. Not sure how her text will go.