"My son’s occupational therapist referred me to your program for a driving fitness test. He turns 15 in two months. What does the process look like once he turns 15?"
Getting a driver’s license is often seen as a right of passage for teenagers. With the privilege of driving comes increased independence as well as a lot of responsibility. Parents often ask us about the process of learning to drive for their young adult who has neurodivergence, anxiety, or a physical impairment. – Is the process any different for their child than for a typically developing teen?
In terms of Colorado laws, the process is the same. Here is a link to the Colorado DMV that gives details about the requirements for a permit based on age. https://dmv.colorado.gov/minor-permit. For your son to obtain a permit at age 15 he will need to complete a 30 hour driver education course. Our company does not provide this education, although he can do it in-person through a driving school or through an online program.
One important thing to consider for your son is whether this is the right time to pursue driving. Although some teens are getting their permit around age 15, many are waiting longer than that, for a variety of reasons. If you have any questions about your son’s potential to learn to drive, I suggest a readiness to drive evaluation before going through the process of taking the permit test.
We provide Readiness to Drive evaluations to help families determine potential to learn to drive at this time. This can be done as early as age 15 although many of our clients wait until they are a bit older. He does not need to have a permit to complete our readiness evaluation. During this evaluation we will first look at skills needed for driving in the clinic (things like vision, mobility, attention, and reaction time). Then we will go to our vehicle and proceed with visual search and decision-making activities with your son in the passenger seat. You are welcome to join for all aspects of the evaluation.
We also have a page on our website with information about the driver readiness workshops we are creating. These are for general information and do not replace individual assessment. I will be updating the information as we add sessions. https://www.fitnesstodrive.org/webinars
Please let us know what specific questions you have - often a phone call works best. You can call our office at 719-231-6657 or schedule a free consult call.
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