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MeSH TERMS
* attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity
* automobile driving
* child development disorders, pervasive
* cognition
* psychomotor performance
Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among teens. Teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or both (ADHD-ASD) may have a greater crash risk. We examined the between-groups demographic, clinical, and predriving performance differences of 22 teens with ADHD-ASD (mean age = 15.05, standard deviation [SD] = 0.95) and 22 healthy control (HC) teens (mean age = 14.32, SD = 0.72). Compared with HC teens, the teens with ADHD-ASD performed more poorly on right-eye visual acuity, selective attention, visual-motor integration, cognition, and motor performance and made more errors on the driving simulator pertaining to visual scanning, speed regulation, lane maintenance, adjustment to stimuli, and total number of driving errors. Teens with ADHD-ASD, compared with HC teens, may have more predriving deficits and as such require the skills of a certified driving rehabilitation specialist to assess readiness to drive.
Classen, S., Monahan, M., & Wang, Y. (2013). Driving characteristics of teens with attention deficit hyperactivity and autismspectrum disorder. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 664-673. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2013.008821
In 2008, teen crashes in the United States accounted for 1 in 3 injury-related deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012b). Specifically, in 2005 the incidence of total fatal and nonfatal injuries in teens (ages 15-19 yr) was 14% (534,911 total) and accounted for 14% ($13,627 billion) of total costs of motor vehicles crashes (Naumann, Dellinger, Zaloshnja, Lawrence, & Miller, 2010). Reasons cited for these injuries are inexperience, risk-taking behaviors, and impulsivity. To be fit to drive-that is, driving safely and smoothly, while compensating for impairment (Brouwer & Ponds, 1994)-drivers must be proficient in a unique set of driving skills that comprise visual, cognitive, and motor abilities and an interaction thereof, executed in a coordinated fashion in a complex and dynamic environment (Classen, 2010). Although the CDC (2012b) has published statistics for teen crashes, it is unclear how many of those teens have special needs, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or both.
ADHD is prevalent in 5.4 million children, or 1 in 10 children, in the United States and is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity,...