putting aside the fact i have a HUGE LIST of random issues that keep happening when i try to learn how to drive (car full of bees, teachers losing their license, power steering breaking in mid lesson) something my mom said to me a long time ago has really scared me away from learning to drive.

she didnt tell me till after high school but a friend of hers who has a kid with similar disabilities as me had told her people like us have a hard time learning how to drive and a high accident rate.

it's worth saying the BIGGEST reason i STILL dont drive (i'm 27) is when i was 16 the day before my driving test i got into a pretty bad accident. no one was hurt but what happened was i couldnt tell how close the stop sign was, or how much pressure i needed to put on the break. i didnt stop in time and had to avoid 2 cars and then lightly hit a tree (no damage to the car) it's also worth mentioning had the car been going any faster when i hit the tree theres a good chance the car woulda flipped into a ditch.

when i was taking driving lessons the issues of how much pressure to put on the break and how far away things were, was a HUGE issue.

what i'm getting around to is, has anyone else had issues with learning to drive?? if so, do you know of any trick to over come them?

not only do i need to learn to drive so i can get back and forth to work (right now i just started a job at 7-11 and buses will take about 3 hours both ways, giving me a 14 hour work day also i work nights so i'm going to be taking a taxi) but not being able to drive really hurt me. i LOVE traveling and grew up in a car. it's a huge point of shame for me.

pleeeeeeeeeeeease can anyone offer any help?????

There are eye exercises that could help with your perception of how far away things are. One is called near and far shifting. Others are eye stretches, convergence eye exercise and eye tracking exercise. You have to do them three times a day for 12 weeks before you can determine if they resolved the problem. You should be able to find info about them on youtube.com.
The pressure on the brake is another issue. Have you had OT? I would guess it's an issue of muscle control and there must be therapy exercises to give you that control. As they say, practice makes perfect. If you know someone who will bring you to a parking lot and let you be for an hour, you can practice braking until you develop the control to feel comfortable.
My son, who has cerebral palsy where the right side of his body was spastic, learned to drive. I'm sure you can do it if you don't rush and practice a lot until you feel comfortable and safe.

whats OT?? lol and im sure asking that answers if i did or not

OT is occupational therapy.

i keep hearing that should help, where can i go to like, get it?? i dont have insurance yet since i just started my job but when i do where do you even go for something like that?

Sometimes OTs are associated with hospitals, sometimes they have their own offices. What you want to research is occupational therapists who specialize in sensory integration work. If you talk to your primary care physician they should have idea of where OTs are in the area. There are lists online to start from for looking too.

A bunch of these specialize in pediatrics, but I've found if you talk to them, even if they specialize in pediatrics they might also work with adults some. For one of my OTs I was her first adult patient. My other OT, they had specifically built their gym to work well with adults, for the few adults they'd get, but wouldn't advertise for them.

I've gotten some help from PT too, but the help from OT was much more pleasant.

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As for your question about driving, I don't drive, and will never drive. My SPD interferes with it such a way that its illegal for me to drive. I think that for many people, working with OT, and then if necessary, a specialized driving instructor who understands the challenges of someone with these types of issues is a good idea. We shouldn't expect people to go and drive without help, but we shouldn't expect people to never do so either, unless it is actually a case where that's the proper thing to do. In your case, I think working with specialists is what to do.

thank you so much for all your info. i hope i can learn to drive someday yet in a weird way i feel a little better knowing that SPD can heavily effect driving ability.

i'm still very much learning everything about SPD being i was never given a true diagnosis just that i had a "perception disorder" the more i learn about it the more i am almost sure i am.

I didn't drive until I was about to turn 25. I tried when I was about 23 or so and I was a nervous wreck despite not having any problems in the mile or so I drove.

A year and a half later, I tried again and I was fine.

I have been in 2 very minor wrecks -- but neither weren't my fault. The first, a girl t-boned me in a parking lot. I was able to talk the cop into writing a paper of his opinion of what he saw, since he couldn't do am actual traffic report since it was on private property.

A few years later, an older lady ran a flashing red light thinking it was a 4 way stop and it wasn't, and I t-bond her. It was a simple 'failure to field' traffic violation for her. I had a yield, she had a stop. She entered the intersection as I was about to cross it when she shouldn't have, causing a crash.

Both were very low speed fender benders, but enough to "total" the old cars I had, but I kept on driving them after getting about 80% of the insurance payout value. No injuries either time. Both times I saw it coming and tried to avoid but couldn't.

My driving is definitely affected by SPD; I have been in countless accidents. I was knocked completely unconscious in my last one. I've never experienced any type of injury before this one, but I have totaled two vehicles counting my most recent. My airbags deployed in both. All of the accidents I've had would have been easily avoidable for someone without SPD. My klutzy behavior and jerky movements definitely make me a very poor driver. I excel and brake very abruptly and quickly because of my inability to apply to appropriate amount of pressure at the correct time. I have a lot of trouble getting around as well. I can never figure out where I am in relation to where I am trying to go. Maps are completely useless to me. I know how to get to places because I remember what road name I am on and by the landmarkers I create in my head. I have to completely map out every turn before I go somewhere, unless its a part of my daily routine. There are times when i absolutely cannot remember how to get somewhere I've driven to several times before. I've been driving since I was 16 and am now 32. Most of my accidents have been because of animals, particularly deer, running out in front of me. I lived in the country when I was in high school and part of college, so I hit well over my fair share. I now know it is because I absolutely did not see them until it was right in front of my car. Or possibly because I couldn't react in the appropriate way at the appropriate time. In order to not be overloaded with all the sensory info that is so distracting to me, I have to put all my focus directly on the road in front of me. I've also hit somebody's car in a parking lot because of my inability to determine where I was in relation to their vehicle. This has happened 3 or 4 times. I really do try to be more aware in the car, but there is just so much going on around me that I can't always dictate the sensory information I need and do not need. I've never allowed this to keep me from driving, though. Admittedly though, I never drive unless there is absolutely no one who can. I'm always the passenger in any situation where I'm traveling with someone else. If I go pick someone up, I immediately give the driver's seat of my car up to them because I know I'm not a good driver. This is a well known fact to everyone in my life, so it goes without saying that I'm the passenger. I know this isn't very encouraging, but I went 15 years without knowing anything about SPD and have driven countless miles accident free. sure, I've been in more wrecks than most people, sure I slam on the accelerator too hard, and yeah, I can get lost in my own neighborhood, but it gets easier and starts to make more sense over time. SPD gives me an understanding of why I struggle with driving, so I am able to apply the knowledge I have now that I was completely oblivious of until recently, directly to my driving. It has really helped me. Equipped with your knowledge of SPD, you are aware of what you struggle with, maybe OT can help you learn ways to work with and around your sensory issues. You can do it!!

I don't understand how some people can drive. I have to shield my eyes from the flashing lights just to walk down the street or cross it. I expect that the combination of traffic, painful noise, and disorienting flashing lights will get me killed.