New Vanderbilt driving program helps people with autism learn to drive, without being on the road

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    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — A new program is making it easier for people with autism to learn how to drive.

A new driving simulator, the first of its kind, was made possible through a new partnership between Vanderbilt and San Diego State University.

Professor Nilanjan Sarkar, the vice dean at Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering, has worked on the model for 10 years.

He says people with autism can experience anxiety, or distraction, more intensely than others, which makes driving a harder feat.

Although many of the over 5 million US adults living with autism want to work and live independently, Sarkar says the ability to drive has been a major roadblock.

“[The] first part to get a job is to be able to go to the job. So independent transportation is key to employment,” he explained.

The video-game-like simulator not only gives drivers a safe place to practice, but adjoining technology, like a physiology tracker and an eye tracker, shows instructors how scared or stressed students might be feeling and if they’re paying attention to the road.

“If we’re able to track their anxiety and stress, they might be able to learn what’s causing it,” said an engineering student demonstrating the simulator.

Only eight simulators are being tested in the U.S. so far, one of them right here at ABS Kids in Nashville, where two groups have already completed the class.

“We have one participant who already had a driver’s license, and he was having to bike everywhere because he was so anxious to actually drive,” said Jenni Morgan, a board-certified behavior analyst at ABS Kids. “He came here to learn how to get more comfortable with driving. So it’s not even all the time teaching them how to drive, it’s teaching them how to deal with the emotions that come with driving.”

Sarkar says they plan to test the simulators out for 6 months. The hope is to start a company and eventually offer the driving program nationwide.

If you are interested in a class involving the simulator at ABS Kids in Nashville, you can email jmorgan@abskids.com.

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