title: Longitudinal study of driver licensing rates among adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: Driving may increase mobility and independence for adolescents with autism without intellectual disability (autism spectrum disorder); however, little is known about rates of licensure. To compare the proportion of adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder who acquire a learner's permit and driver's license, as well as the rate at which they progress through the licensing system, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 52,172 New Jersey residents born in the years 1987-1995 who were patients of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia healthcare network ⩾12 years of age; 609 (1.2%) had an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Electronic health records were linked to New Jersey's driver licensing database (2004-2012). Kaplan-Meier curves and log-binomial regression models were used to determine the age at and rate of licensure, and estimate adjusted risk ratios. One in three adolescents with autism spectrum disorder acquired a driver's license versus 83.5% for other adolescents and at a median of 9.2 months later. The vast majority (89.7%) of those with autism spectrum disorder who acquired a permit and were fully eligible to get licensed acquired a license within 2 years. Results indicated that a substantial proportion of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder do get licensed and that license-related decisions are primarily made prior to acquisition of a permit instead of during the learning-to-drive process.
authors.affiliation: 1 The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Allison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Curry
authors.affiliation: 1 The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA.|2 University of Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Yerys
authors.affiliation: 1 The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Patty
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: 1 The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Kristi B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Metzger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D001333:Automobile Driver Examination / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: driving; graduated driver licensing; high-functioning autism; mobility; teen drivers; transition to adulthood; transportation; young drivers