Drivers with Asperger's Syndrome Face Unique Challenges

Another venue where body language and especially eye contact are crucial is in the arena of driving. There are few other situations where your life might depend on adequately conversing with another individual through the use of gestures or simply eye contact. This has propelled many a person with Asperger’s Syndrome to take driving lessons from a professional. The added security of knowing the rules of the road for certain and not guessing about right of ways eliminates a lot of the nervousness a driver might experience.

Even with the best honed skills, driving is still a major challenge when someone battles with Asperger’s Syndrome and thus is not able to adequately understand the intent of other drivers. The problem, of course, is the fact that not everyone follows the predetermined rules of the road. Although in theory they ought to, in practice many rely on the eye contact with other drivers to estimate their intent and also their likelihood to slow down or allow them to squeeze into their lanes. When an individual with Asperger’s Syndrome is behind the wheel, there is a slight chance that he or she might misunderstand the other drives’ intent.

At the same time, other drivers may misinterpret the lack of eye contact as meaning that this driver is not able or willing to budge, and therefore there may be some odd moments at four way stop signs and other intersections when it is questionable what the intent of the individual drivers may be. The best advice most individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome have received with respect to safety on the road is patience. It is best to be a defensive driver who will allow others to cut into their lanes, and who will leave a lot of room between their car and the one up ahead. In addition, going no faster than the speed limit and traveling in the slow lanes is another good bit of advice for those who cannot rely on split second decisions arrived at by accurately evaluating eye contact with other drivers on the road.

Avoiding freeways and high speed lanes is another bit of advice often given to those with Asperger’s Syndrome. The stress of navigating an area at a heightened speed may lead to episodes of apathy, which usually happen when the patient with Asperger’s Syndrome becomes extremely stressed. Even though she or he might make it home safely, there is a good chance that getting back into their automobile the next morning is not as simple a task as they would like it to be. It is best if they avoid the danger of apathy ahead of time and simply opt for a safer, less stressful way to work or home.

As odd as it may sound, but the kind of car such a person drives also makes a huge difference. The car should reflect the personal taste of the patient with Asperger’s Syndrome for sure, but above and beyond, it should provide a sense of safety. For some this is achieved when driving a tall SUV while for others this is accomplished when they get behind the wheel of a large car.