so my brother wants his license, but cant

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He was diagnosed with asperger's when he was a baby. He is high functioning and still in special ed at our local high school.
Our problem: He really wants to be a taxi driver. He's got a huge fascination with traffic and controlled driving areas. The real problem in his life presently (he's only 18), that he can't pass his drivers permit exam. We live in California and the tests are pretty hard. I almost didn't pass. How should we encourage him to keep trying. He has gotten so resistant to taking it again, and he has only tried twice.
Is there any programs that anyone knows of that helps asperger kids to pass the drivers permit exam? (the written part of the test)
Thanks.

Huh how was he diagnosed with AS as a baby? How old was he then? Doctors usually don't diagnose AS in children under age 3, they place the PDD-NOS label on the kid for temporarily.

mention that many people didn't get their license until they were 22 or 23 in some places. I know a 20 y/o who still has a permit and Im 18 and still has a permit.

Most, if not all, states have a guide that covers EVERYTHING, on the internet. When I took the indiana test, the guy made a statement(laughingly) accusing me of cheating, I didn't miss ANY question. BTW I DID take, and pass, the california one also. It isn't THAT hard. As for trying twice, the last time I checked, california only had like 6 tests. He should at least learn all he has to study!

Last edited by 2ukenkerl on 19 Mar 2009, 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

You'd need to know why he failed the two tests.

-Inadequate study is one (I've known people to fail due to not reading the book in-depth; brief perusal won't do)
-perhaps the testing area was overwhelming for him, and he started losing his ability to function as he normally would; this is possible (perhaps requesting a solitary room beforehand may help)
-if it is his area of interest, I doubt it'd be due to #1 and if he also has a normal level of intelligence (being AS, it's most likely that he is)

Just don't give up and try again!! !

How long has he spent learning? He may need a driver's instructor that is used to working with people with disabilities. Mandated: 20 hours of practice. Recommended: About 120 hours of driving practice. If he hasn't gotten that, then taking the exam is like trying to pass a test you haven't studied for.

There's another possibility though, which is what happened with me--I wasn't developmentally ready to drive when I was 16. I took driver's ed twice, got perfect and near-perfect scores in the classroom, and got Ds and Fs on the road. It took me until I was 24 years old to be ready. (It might have been earlier; all I know that trying again at 24, I needed only three months' practice before I successfully passed my test.)

If your brother's in the second group, what you'll see is him trying to learn and simply not improving--rather than doing the "slow and steady" thing you'd expect from someone who's ready but just needs extra help. If so, keep letting him try to drive, and get him through college in the meanwhile. That way, he'll have a college degree to fall back on, or else look really good on his resume when he's trying to get that taxi job. At any rate, chances are they wouldn't hire him until he was 21 anyway--so you've got a few years to play with whether he's ready or not.

First off, I am assuming that this will be for his regular operators license and not a CDL. The trick is that you need to memorize the manual because the questions are so geared toward it. The very first time I went for my learners permit, I got all the answers correct (not accused for cheating when I did it). When I took the CDL written tests, I think I got 3 - 6 wrong amongst all of the tests (4 - 5 of them, which is very good since most people can only successfully do one test per day).

Since I really do not know what the issue is that is causing your brother to fail, I cannot make any more recommendations.

Also, to others, the term "Baby" has a huge age range in some areas so the OP can mean that he was dx'd at 3 - 4 years of age.

He probably shouldn't get a driver's permit if he can't pass the written test. He should have a crystal clear notion of what driving rules and process is. Once he gets behind the wheel, he will be even more distracted than if he's sitting in a test room. Plus if he has classic Asperger, he gets geographical and orientation confusion, too.

If he can't make good, fast answers about driving know-how in a test room, he can be dangerous behind the wheel when he's faced with real distractibility and orienteering AS problems.

If he has some kind of dyslexia that makes him miss questions or other problem with the testing itself, that's another issue. He can get disability accommodation for that. Most states allow an oral test, and surely CA does, too.

Just so you know, he didn't REALLY accuse me. It was accepted, etc... It is just a statement he made, because I did so well. In indiana there are ALL SORTS of laws regarding flags used to indicate slow moving vehicles, maximum height, etc....

As for not driving because of not knowing 100% of the manual, that is silly. Some things just won't apply to you, and some you will RARELY see, etc.... HECK, in some areas/states it is allowed to turn right on red. In others it isn't. In some places you can use a cellphone or radar detector, and in others you can't. The unposted speed limit may tend to vary a bit, and certain customs are different. The test probably tests your ability to learn, handle stress, etc... better than anything else.

So REALLY learn the basics, and make sure you are AWARE of the rest, and learn it well enough to pass.

And most important of all, NEVER EVER GIVE UP if he really has the heart for driving.

He is giving me hope as I plan to learn driving too. Btw I am an 18 year-old Aspie.

been driving a car around year and i have beter driving record then most people even i have problems with asperger i still love driving and its someting i wanna do as my job too(truck driver) go for it !

I didn't get my license until I was 23.