How do people with autism rate their own driving? Worse, according to a pilot study conducted by Drexel researchers this year. But that may not mean that adults with autism are actually worse drivers.
What the survey found was interesting, but inconclusive, said study co-author Maria Schultheis, an associate professor of psychology. The respondents on the autism spectrum reported that they received their driver’s licenses later in life, self-regulated their own driving and had been in more accidents. But those results might represent more frank reporting from the participants rather than a worse driving record than someone who doesn’t have autism, says Schultheis.
Still, the findings of the study are only the beginning, Schultheis says, and will serve as a baseline for further research that will involve comparing the performance of those on and off the autism spectrum behind the wheels of driving simulators.
“This is a first step toward identifying, categorizing and quantifying challenges that may exist in this population,” Schultheis says.