Our Training Webinar Series
We are proud to offer "Driving With Autism: Driver Readiness Webinars." This 8-part webinar series is taught by a live, virtual expert instructor and focuses on the very specific training needs of autistic individuals. The series focuses on one topic per week and teaches it in a way that is easy to digest and gives students the space to process the information before we move on. Our goal is to help individuals know the expectations of learning to drive and going over concepts that most driver schools do not cover like sensory needs. We want them to obtain their license!
- Motivation: Starting the Driving Journey and Roadmap
- Parental Involvement in Driving
- Adding Driving Goals to your IEPs
- Driving Situations and Overcoming Them!
- Sensory Processing And Limiting Sensory Overload
- Understanding Police Interactions and Strategies
- Financial Basics of Driving 101
- Driving Pathways
Motivation: Starting the Driving Journey and Roadmap:
Not sure what driving is like? Limited by lack of transportation options? Here you can learn about the possibility of learning to drive a car. This introduction to the Autism Driving Series presents a roadmap for how a new driver can get their license, from obtaining a learner’s permit to taking the road test. We will go over why transportation is important and the barriers that can prevent someone from driving. Some driving strategies are also discussed, as well. The course explores multiple possible sources of motivation.
Parental Involvement in Driving
The first part of this webinar helps parents accept their new driver’s desire to pursue driving. There are likely mixed emotions, ranging from excitement to anxiety. It is important for parents to play a supportive role to help their new driver ease into driving and accept the associated challenges. Based on past consultations with parents, this webinar will review those challenges and strategies to overcome them.
Adding Driving Goals to your IEPs
This course is for parents whose aspiring drivers have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Depending on the state, it is sometimes possible to include goals related to driving/transportation in an IEP, especially in the transition plan. The course reviews some universal IEP basics and the sorts of driving skills that may be added to an IEP. Even when schools are not able to specifically target driving, they can address associated skill sets, such as executive functioning.
Driving Situations and Overcoming Them!
As is the case in any environment, changes can come up unexpectedly and throw a person off. This course will review changes that could happen on the road and how to solve them. We will also go over possible vehicle malfunctions.
Sensory Processing and Limiting Sensory Overload:
Everyone uses sensory input to make sense of the world throughout their day, and driving is no exception. Some individuals may go into a sensory overload state. This course will review the senses that we use while driving and ways to address certain sensory needs. Being aware of one’s sensory needs can help prevent sensory overload on the road. We will also go over how to manage fatigue and stress while driving.
Understanding Police Interactions and Strategies
This course aims to show why these interactions happen and how to navigate them, as miscommunications with the police can be very serious. We will go over a typical interaction, following a script, to familiarize the new driver with situations that can occur. Solutions are also discussed to provide ideas for parents and others to use in their communities.
Financial Basics of Driving 101:
This course focuses on the financial basics associated with driving. We go over the basics of deciding to buy a new or used car and getting car insurance. The information is provided in an accessible manner in order to give new drivers an idea of how much it can cost to own and manage their car.
Driving Pathways
The objective of this course is to plan out the next step of your driving journey. You have learned about many topics and are ready to take the next steps. We will review different types of driving schools, some with a “regular” school experience and others with an adaptive program. The latter tend to have services and experience working with autistics and other populations. Helpful accommodations are discussed, along with organizations that are connected to those schools.