Shiftinggearsondrivers'education

Shiftinggearsondrivers'education Like many young men counting down the days until they can drive, David Hastings has March 15 circled in red: It's the day he takes his behind-the-wheel driver's test. " For Tom Hastings, having David get a license will mean that his son has taken another step toward self-sufficiency. "I do not consider myself old," the 64-year-old said, "but I do realize that I'm not going to be around forever. " Instructor Steve Quinn is as confident as David is about his chances of passing. Once I've done that, I can relate to them as a driving instructor. " The decision on whether to let offspring get behind the wheel can be difficult for parents, even under the best circumstances. '" Matthew Doble, who has problems with attention-deficit disorder, struggled so much with the written test -- he needed to take it six times before he passed -- that he lost interest in further training. Which may not be to say that they all pass the road test the first time they take it. But when they fail, it's usually for the same reasons that other students do. "We have to look at each person individually," she said. If there is one universal factor, it's that learning-disabled students typically fare better if they're older than their counterparts. But he's gotten to the age where he realizes that in another year, he's going to graduate and, hopefully, get a job, and he needs to be able to get where he needs to go. " Hastings is a graduate of Courage Center's driving program. He tried taking a regular driver's ed course, but he struggled with it. He's determined that his form of autism, Asperger's, will not stop him from achieving either goal. " Larry Sjerven is executive director of Twin Cities-based Adaptive Experts, a for-profit driving program. "Most parents know" whether their child is a viable candidate for driving, she said. "You have to identify the steps and break them down: You tell them at what point to slow down, at what point to turn the wheel, at what point to turn the wheel back again and at what point to accelerate again. Like Shaffer, he is both a certified occupational therapist and a state-licensed driving instructor. "I have to wear both hats," he said. "First, I'm a therapist. Hastings had to master more than the usual challenges to get to this point. For one thing, he's 22, not 16. The state requires six hours of behind-the-wheel training, but that often isn't enough in these cases. "We've been working together since July," he said. And their success rate is impressive: 95 percent of the students who go through the Courage Center program eventually get their licenses, Shaffer said. I want to be able to do stuff without always asking for a ride. But when the 18-year-old got a job offer 10 days ago, he became so focused on getting his license that he took three behind-the-wheel lessons from Courage Center last week. "I'd love to get it done," he said. "If they're a little older, they've had more time to get life experiences. " The first step in both the Courage Center and Adaptive Experts programs is an assessment of the would-be drivers to make sure they have the wherewithal to maintain control of a vehicle. Add the variable of a special-needs situation, and it becomes exponentially harder, Shaffer said. The decision ultimately involves many factors, from problem-solving ability, distractibility and decision-making to physical attributes, including maturity level, coordination and reaction time. "Sometimes they'll take a few lessons and then we'll tell them to go work on that for several months and then contact us back," she said. "The guy couldn't tell me what I was doing wrong," he said. " Shaffer agreed that flexibility is a cornerstone of the program. "You just have to give them more time. It can take lots of people years. " It's not unusual to spend $1,500 or more on the lessons. For that reason alone, instructors focus on making each session count. . Shiftinggearsondrivers'education Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 07/03/2012