How do I know if my child is ready to learn to drive?
Updated: Mar 28, 2022
Who knows the magic formula for when a teenager is ready to learn to drive? There are so many books available on what to do and how to behave while pregnant, followed by all the best sellers that teach parents what to feed their baby, when they should toilet train, how to wean, when to start school. But where are the books on "how to know my teen is ready to date", "it is time to teach my teen to drive" or better still "my child has special needs is driving realistic"
One thing is almost certain- in NSW society expects that kids turn 16 and trot straight to their local Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) to complete the Driver Knowledge test and get their Learners before they open their presents. Then they will systematically clock up 120 hours of supervised driving (including 20 at night) and be off on their Provisional Licence, independent to get to school/part time work and ideally cart around younger siblings.
To be fair, for a large number of adolescents the journey is more or less consistent with the urban myth. However, for the adolescents with special needs, should they be encouraged to rote learn the Road User Handbook and binge the online Driver Knowledge test to also secure a Learner's permit? Or should we just ignore this potential milestone and rite of passage and fill the void with therapy sessions and distraction? How do parents navigate this space? Who will give them the answers? And more to the point, if their child is brilliant at storing facts and passing knowledge tests, Who will get into a car with the new Learner to teach them to drive?
This is where ATZ Driving Solutions may be able to assist you. We are not going to spend hours with your child teaching them to memorise the road rules, instead we are here to offer a Potential to Drive Assessment. If you have visited our website you will know that this is a service marketed for individuals that don't yet possess a NSW Driver's licence but are interested in knowing if this is a possibility.
Similar to the OT Fitness to Drive, the process begins with a referral and we then meet with the individual at our Medowie based clinic or the person's home. The initial assessment is theory based and designed to look at the individuals strengths, functional capacity, physical and cognitive ability and understanding of driving. Then we take the person for a drive (they take the front passenger seat) and run them through a range of targeted activities to explore their potential for managing the demands of learning to drive.
At the end of the comprehensive assessment, we take the information also gathered from the treating doctor, family and/or significant others and review this with the data collated from the assessment to come up with one of three scenarios.
It is recommended that the individual embark on learning the NSW Road users Handbook so that they can undertake the NSW Driver Knowledge Test to get their Learner licence
It is recommended that the individual will benefit from some extra time and refinement of current abilities, either supported by family or outsourced before they embark on obtaining a Learner licence
From completion of the Potential to Drive process, this person does not currently have the skill set necessary to make exploring a learner licence an achievable goal. They may benefit from time to mature, or may be better suited to public transport training.
If additional support and upskilling of independence with incidental daily living is identified, ATZ Driving solutions can provide a 1:1 targeted program with an allied health assistant to collaboratively work on the goals identified from the assessment process. Included in this program is access to the ATZDS driving simulator to work on physical response and coordination as well as hazard perception and road law knowledge.
If this sounds like something you need to have in your pocket of parenting tricks, drop us a line at hello@atzds.com.au or visit the website for more information. We are here to help.