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. 2021 Mar 8:15:635649.
doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.635649. eCollection 2021.

Driving Skills of Individuals With and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia)

Judith Gentle  1 , Daniel Brady  2 , Nigel Woodger  1 , Sophie Croston  1 , Hayley C Leonard  1
Affiliations

Driving Skills of Individuals With and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia)

Judith Gentle et al. Front Hum Neurosci. .

Abstract

Learning to drive is a significant event for the transition to adulthood and delay or avoidance may have social, practical, and psychological implications. For those with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia), driving presents a considerable challenge, and the literature shows that there are differences in driving ability between individuals with and without DCD. The aim of the current research is to further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the driving experiences of individuals with DCD. Nineteen participants with DCD (10 drivers and 9 non-drivers) and 36 controls (17 drivers and 19 non-drivers) aged 18-57 years took part in this study. Participants completed standardized tests, questionnaires and a driving simulation task designed to measure speed, road positioning, and rate of change of steering in three conditions with increasing perceptual complexity. Results indicate that behaviors for all participants changed as the perceptual demands of the task increased. However, drivers with DCD were more affected than all other groups, driving more slowly, and driving further to the right. These findings illustrate how the impact of both internal and external constraints negatively affect the success of the driving task for individuals with DCD compared to their TD peers.

Keywords: developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia; driving; experience; motor coordination; perception; real-world skills.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Photo of the car simulator.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Visual representation of the main drive (not to scale) based on distance (in feet) including width of lane, road markings, event number (in order of which it occurred) and speed limit.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Photos of sections of drive for experiment 1 (A–D), experiment 2 (E), and experiment 3 (F). (A) Photo of section of drive with central road markings. (B) Photo of section of drive without central road markings. (C) Photo of section of drive through narrow aperture. (D) Photo of section of drive through tunnel. (E) Photo of section of drive past roadworks. (F) Photo of section of drive past on-coming vehicle.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Mean values for lateral movement condition 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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