Dyspraxia And Driving
Dyspraxia and driving can be two things which you may believe do not go together. For one thing driving requires the use of several different motor skills at the same time. Likewise when driving you will need to keep your wits about you (especially when first learning) with regards to the road conditions. This includes what other drivers and people are doing.
It is due to these reasons that many of us with Dyspraxia may attempt to learn how to drive a car but give up after we realise that driving is just too challenging. Others may never take up the challenge, believing that Dyspraxia and Driving just don't go together.
Whatever you have believed, I can tell you now that it is certainly possible to pass a driving test and drive a car (and van as well). And the reason I can say this with such confidence is because I have a driver's license and have been driving now for at least two decades on the road (scary when I think about it!)
So if you have Dyspraxia and are either learning to drive or thinking about it (or perhaps have thought it weren't possible) then in this article I will give you the best of my wisdom on how to best pass the driving test. Keep in mind that I am not a professional driving instructor or examiner but am advising in the capacity as someone who has passed the test: and has Dyspraxia.
Also keep in mind that I am referring to passing the test from the UK. Yet I’m sure that most of the advice can be applied to whatever country you are learning to drive in.
So to begin:
Dyspraxia And Driving: Automatic Or Manual
Here in the UK, there are two types of cars which are commonly available on the road: manual (stick-shift according to you US readers) or automatic vehicles. Under UK law if you learn to drive an automatic, you can only drive other automatic cars: unless you decide to take another test to learn how to drive a manual car.
Yet if you learn to drive a manual car then under UK law, you can subsequently drive both types of car.
If you are not aware, a manual car is one where the driver has to shift gears manually. Such cars are noted as having a third foot pedal known as the clutch, as well as a stick lever. An automatic however doesn’t have any of these as the car will automatically change gear for you depending on the speed that you are travelling at.
So the question is when learning to drive, with Dyspraxia is it better to learn to drive an automatic or a manual car? Well the advantages of learning to drive a manual is that once you have passed your test, you can drive every car on the road, be that an automatic or manual.
Yet the downside to learning to drive a manual car is that shifting gears will be another thing that you'd have to concentrate on, as well as all the other factors involved in driving. As such it might be easier to learn how to drive in an automatic car as not having to switch gears.
However if you do decide to learn to drive an automatic, you will be limited in the number of cars that you can drive once you pass your test. So which one should you learn to drive? Personally I learnt to drive a manual car from the outset and passed the second time around (though I did have over 100 lessons and several near misses!).
One possibility which I would recommend is that you learn to drive in an automatic car. Then when you have passed your test you can then proceed to learn to drive a manual car when you are ready. Yet you may just want to dive into the deep end as I did and learn to drive a manual. It may take longer than average but it isn’t a race.
Learning To Drive
Once you have decided which type of vehicle you wish to learn to drive, the next step is decide on who you are going to use as a driving instructor. There are many professional driving schools around to choose from. Also there are many other individual driving instructors who operate under their own business.
When picking out a driving instructor, I would recommend you do a sort of an interview with the instructor. Inform him (or her) that you have Dyspraxia, explaining exactly what it is and how it affects you. Do mention to the instructor that you are legally capable to learn how to drive a vehicle: only just may take you a little longer to master the various skills to driving.
When explaining your condition to the instructor, you really want to observe their reaction. Do they look like they are really paying attention and understanding what you are saying. If they can sympathise with you, then that should be a good indicator he'd make a good instructor.
Yet if the instructor seems to treat you suspiciously for saying this or merely acts like 'whatever' then I would see these as red flags. This is because if she is not taking you seriously when you are explaining your situation, how sympathetic are they going to be when you are out on the road and have a 'Dyspraxic Moment.'
Dyspraxia And Driving On The Road
Assuming you have found the perfect driving instructor who understands Dyspraxia and is willing to help you along, what else can you do. Well one thing I would strongly recommend you do is to take 10 minutes, etc before each lesson to simply do some relaxation exercises. Whether that be listening to a relaxation video on YouTube or meditating, take some time to try calm yourself down.
It goes without saying however that by no accounts should you take something like a drink or a chemical drug to relax. These will impair your driving facilities and if your instructor doesn't catch you acting odd before getting the wheel, will certainly spot it afterwards. And you may lose a perfectly good driving instructor.
The reason I emphasize the importance of taking time to relax beforehand is because often our Dyspraxic minds can be all over the place. As such if we aren't calm and focused on what we are doing, we are far more likely to become stressed and make more mistakes.
The same can also be said for when you are about to sit your theory and your practical driving exams. If you do fail these, do ask for feedback on where you went wrong. And get the relevant help from your instructor to improve on those areas.
By all means don't at anyone time believe that driving is beyond you due to you being Dyspraxic. I know many people with Dyspraxia (myself included) who are competent and effective drivers.
Also believe me when I say how the moment you pass your test and are on the road driving by yourself, you will find your driving skills suddenly jump up exponentially. There is nothing worse when displaying a skill then to know that there is someone sat next to you, judging you on your results.
Apart from remembering to do your homework (in particular learning the highway code and perhaps driving with a competent friend who has a full drivers license) the only other thing I can advise is to take it nice and slowly, making sure to take on board any feedback your instructor may have for you.
It will take some time but as you may recall, learning to drive is not a race. Sometimes the best drivers are those who didn’t pass their tests on their first go (or second or third). And in the end that is what is most important.
Anyhow if you like to know more about Dyspraxia, including the strengths of having Dyspraxia, I recommend you read my book 'Dyspraxia: How To Thrive As An Adult’ by Alex Gadd. You can find that by clicking here.
Else if you would like to be in a group of fellow Dyspraxics and find more information on this disability, then why not join the Dyspraxia Support Group on Facebook.