How tech teaches neurodivergent teens to drive

The allure of autonomous vehicles notwithstanding, I long ago made my peace with not being able to drive as someone with profoundly low vision. Nonetheless, I do get around pretty well, and I’m thankful to be living amongst such a technological golden age such that suitable substitutions like Waymo are relatively readily available. At the very least, my checkbook is even more thankful because not having a driver’s license means I save a helluva lot of money on car payments, auto insurance, and—particularly here in the Bay Area—gas costs. Yet the acceptance of my life’s circumstances doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes wish I could drive or even learn how in the first place. I absolutely do.

It was these feelings that led me to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Drive Program and interviewing its coordinator in Dr. Christina Potter. Located in Miami, Nicklaus Children’s—renamed in 2015 from Miami Children’s Hospital after golf legend Jack Nicklaus, winner of a record 18 majors—established its Drive Program in 2023 in an effort to “prepare neurodiverse individuals for a driving exam.” The Drive Program uses virtual reality to what Nicklaus Children’s described as “[providing] students with an experience that simulates a driving exam.” Students receive real-time feedback, and a behavior analyst is present to help guide them through various situations whilst closely monitoring their stress and anxiety levels. There’s also classroom time, during which students are taught foundational pieces like the rules of the road, signs, and more.

Dr. Potter, an academic researcher and experimental psychologist by training who works as Nicklaus Children’s manager of IT and digital technologies, explained to me the impetus behind launching the Drive Program was “simple but powerful”: the idea, she told me, is to “help young people, especially those who face challenges like autism, anxiety, or ADHD, to gain the confidence and skills they need to become safe and independent drivers.” Conventional driving schools, Dr. Potter went on to tell me, aren’t always conducive to many neurodivergent people; they “don’t offer the flexibility or patience or support that [neurodivergent people] really need to succeed,” she said.

“We saw an opportunity to fill that gap in a way that aligned with with our mission at Nicklaus Children’s,” Dr. Potter said.

Nicklaus Children’s had been playing with virtual reality before, using the technology in its surgical areas and noticing “major benefits” for patients coping with anxiety, according to Dr. Potter. Driving in Miami, she said, can be harrowing at times with lots of traffic and the roads being a “madhouse.” Dr. Potter acknowledged there’s a lot of anxiety surrounding driving in general, but noted those feelings can be heightened in neurodiverse people. She also said while other hospitals, such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, do teach teens to drive, her team found a program specifically designed for, and catered to, the neurodiverse community really doesn’t exist anywhere else.

“Research shows individuals on the spectrum tend to experience heightened levels of anxiety anyway, particularly around driving,” Dr. Potter said. “We thought we might be able to use VR as the tool to help them learn driving skills in a safe and controlled way.”

The Drive Program, Dr. Potter told me, has been designed to “provide our students with a strong foundation and safe and confident driving—both in knowledge and in real world application.” Teaching begins with the fundamentals, of course: students are taught the basic rules of the road, reading road signs, and more. The curriculum is classroom-based and built using Florida’s driving manual. She emphasized, though, it’s the way in which concepts are taught that sets Nicklaus Children’s efforts apart. Program staff are sent to become certified driving instructors, then use the VR-based simulator—which comes replete with a headset, steering wheel, and pedals—as a proxy for a real car. This combination of strategies, according to Dr. Potter, “[reinforces and supports] students with different learning styles to meet them where they’re at.”

Dr. Potter stressed the Drive Program does not issue licenses to people. Rather, the program is intentionally designed to facilitate the reduction of anxiety and “provide [students] with the framework to be successful at a traditional driving school.”

When asked how exactly the Drive Program actually helps a neurodivergent person, Dr. Potter said it’s a “mix” of both the technology and, more pointedly, the coaching and instruction. The tech is cool, to be sure, but Dr. Potter told me the first thing they tell new recruits is they’re safe and the staff is there to support them. The beauty of the Drive Program’s simulator, she went on to tell me, is it enables students to learn and make mistakes in a safe, emotionally enriching, and carefully controlled environment.

“Through repetition, guided instruction, and supported coaching, over time our students are building confidence and competence behind the wheel,” Dr. Potter said.

She added: “No matter where they’re at, you know, we meet them where they are emotionally and we’re very patient and empathetic and understanding… if they crash the car, which they do, or if they veer off road, nobody gets hurt. We use that [experience] as an opportunity with our students to help them learn and grow without having that fear someone can get hurt. Really, we just practice, practice, practice.”

Feedback on the Drive Program has been positive. Dr. Potter noted comments from students and parents alike are “wildly optimistic,” adding the Drive Program has grown into something that has exceeded everyone’s expectations. Many students who have successfully completed the Drive Program have gone on to attain their driver’s license from the DMV. It’s been equally rewarding for parents to watch their children learn such crucial skills. And as a data scientist, Dr. Potter said the team has copious amounts of data on the Drive Program; anxiety in parents has been reduced by as much as 50%, while the number is almost 70% from the beginning of the program to its conclusion.

“It’s confidence not just for students, but for the parent as well,” Dr. Potter said.

Looking towards the future, Dr. Potter said she and her team at Nicklaus Children’s hopes to grow the Drive Program, as well as evangelize it. She believes the Drive Program is “breaking down barriers to mobility and inclusion” for not only the neurodiverse community, but for anyone experiencing driving-related stressors. It helps tremendously in greater independence, as well as in opportunity and social connection. The Drive Program has a multitude of benefits that go beyond cars.

“There’s a lot that we can do with the technology to mimic those scenarios to help a broader range of individuals to reduce driving-related anxiety—even for folks who already have their driver’s license,” Dr. Potter said in pondering the Drive Program’s future. “Providing those opportunities in a more broad approach is one area we want to go down. Another would be working with local high schools, as that’s something we haven’t done yet. We’ve shown we have this proof-of-concept that works really well with individuals on the spectrum, folks who have heightened levels of anxiety [and] folks who have ADHD. We know our curriculum and our process will work with a broader audience. We want to get the word out and have as big of an impact as we can.”

She continued: “The Drive Program is a program that benefits the entire community. It’s for anyone who has heightened anxiety. It gives them access to a supportive and adaptive driver training program, opening doors to greater independence and greater opportunities and connection. These are life-changing milestones. Helping individuals to fully participate in their communities is really what we’re trying to achieve here.”