After a traumatic brain injury (TBI), many individuals are eager to return to driving to regain independence. Yet, driving involves much more that starting and stopping a car. It requires concentration, divided attention, calm and swift reaction timing, and the ability to navigate traffic and complex road situations.

A TBI may affect these skills and others that driving relies on:

• Memory
• Decreased ability to problem solve or anticipate what is ahead
• Vision or perceptual deficits
• Poor judgement of novel situations
• Impulsivity or aggressive behaviors

It takes time to recover these skills through physical, occupational and cognitive therapy.

Because it may be difficult to accept or wait to return to driving, our Driving Readiness Education Therapy sessions will be helpful for both the individual with TBI and their family or caregiver/s.

What does Driving Readiness Educational Therapy provide?

Lead by an Occupational Therapist, sessions will include education, resources and assessments that help to determine an individual’s readiness to return to driving.

Skill areas assessed:

• Visuo-spatial skills – needed for movement, depth and distance perception, and spatial navigation
• Attention – the ability to choose and concentrate on relevant stimuli or divide and switch attention efficient and effectively
• Memory – for directions or to navigate a complex situation
• Problem Solving – the ability to handle difficult or unexpected situations and calmly identify solutions

Other areas assessed:

• Physical abilities – address any needs for accommodations or modifications
• Muscle strength and endurance
• Range of motion of the extremities, trunk and neck
• Sensation & proprioception
• Quick, precise and coordinated movements (e.g., hand-eye coordination)

Assessments assigned as appropriate for the individual with research-based parameters that help to recommend an in-person driving evaluation.