Dyspraxia (DCD) and Driving: Challenges and How Simulation Helps
Published by Virtual Driver Interactive (VDI)
A student with dyspraxia may know exactly what a curve requires. The hard part is doing it all at once: steering, holding speed, and watching the road. Dyspraxia, also called developmental coordination disorder (DCD), affects how a person plans and coordinates movement. For a driving instructor, the useful question isn't whether these students can learn. It's what order to teach the skills in.
Can simulation help drivers with dyspraxia (DCD)?
It can, as a practice setting. Studies of DCD and driving point to a few pressure points: steering through bends, judging space when parking, and reacting to hazards while handling the car. A simulator lets you separate those tasks, lower the demands, and repeat them with no traffic risk. No published trial has tested simulator training for learners with DCD, though. A Texas Department of Transportation-funded project at UT Arlington is now studying drivers ages 16 to 22 with DCD, ADHD, and autism. Use simulation as one step in a plan that ends with supervised road practice.
Here's how that plays out. A student drifts wide on every curve. On the road, you get a few seconds to react and no replay. In a simulation lesson, the student can try again, you can ask what they noticed first, and you can pick one change for the next attempt. Our Novice Driving Essentials (NDE) lesson list and Vantage reporting overview shows the lessons and reports you'd use for that review. The research below explains why that order matters and where the evidence stops.
1. What makes driving harder with dyspraxia?
DCD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects motor control and coordination. Another neurological condition doesn't explain it. The NHS guide to dyspraxia in adults lists driving as a whole-body task that can be hard. It also notes effects on learning new skills, planning, and organizing.
Driving stacks those demands. The student steers, manages speed, checks mirrors, and reads traffic, often in the same moment. When one task takes extra effort, there's less left for the others.
Four driving pressure points reported in DCD research
- Curves and bends Finding: more difficulty steering through bends than on straight roads (simulator study). Watch: the line through a curve and how many corrections it takes.
- Space and distance Finding: ongoing trouble judging distance and parking (survey of students ages 17 to 25). Watch: gap choice and final parking position.
- Hazards while handling the car Finding: about 50% longer to react to pedestrians heading into the car's path (simulator study). Watch: time from a hazard appearing to the driver's response.
- Confidence and lapses Finding: lower driving confidence and more self-reported errors and attention lapses (adult survey). Watch: hesitation, skipped checks, and forgotten steps.
Every learner is different, and many people with DCD drive. Use these four areas as places to look, not as assumptions. Some learners also have ADHD or autism, so ask what helps this student rather than planning by diagnosis.
2. What does the research on DCD and driving actually show?
The research base is small, and most of it comes from the UK. Four studies do most of the work.
A 2011 survey by Kirby, Sugden, and Edwards compared 38 students with DCD and 77 without, ages 17 to 25. Fewer students with DCD had learned to drive. Those who had still reported trouble judging distance and parking.
In a simulator study, de Oliveira and Wann found young adults with DCD had more trouble steering through bends, though not on straight roads. They also took about 50% longer to react to pedestrians walking toward their path.
Gentle and colleagues (2021) tested 19 adults with DCD and 36 without, ages 18 to 57, in a UK simulator. As the drives got more complex, everyone's driving changed. Drivers with DCD changed most. They drove more slowly, and when an oncoming car appeared, they drifted toward it while other drivers drifted away. The authors urge caution: subgroups were small and the group differences showed up only in interactions.
A 2024 survey by Shipley and colleagues compared 46 licensed drivers with DCD to 58 without. Drivers with DCD reported lower confidence, more errors, and more attention lapses. Self-reported collisions didn't differ significantly. The data were self-reported, and the team couldn't separate effects of co-occurring conditions such as ADHD.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways.
| Study | Who took part | Method | Driving finding | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirby, Sugden, and Edwards (2011) | 38 students with DCD, 77 without; ages 17 to 25 | Questionnaire | Fewer with DCD had learned to drive; ongoing trouble with distance and parking | Self-report; one student sample |
| de Oliveira and Wann (2012) | Young adults with DCD and matched controls | Driving simulator, virtual city | More difficulty steering through bends; about 50% slower reactions to pedestrians | Simulator only; small sample |
| Gentle and colleagues (2021) | 19 with DCD, 36 without; ages 18 to 57 | Driving simulator with rising complexity | Drivers with DCD slowed most and drifted toward an oncoming car | Small subgroups; experience not measured; findings rely on interactions |
| Shipley and colleagues (2024) | 46 licensed drivers with DCD, 58 without | Online questionnaire | Lower confidence; more errors and lapses; no significant collision difference | Self-report; convenience sample; co-occurring conditions not separated |
What the research doesn't show yet
We found no published trial of simulator training for drivers with DCD. That's the key gap. The studies above used simulators to measure driving, not to teach it.
The UT Arlington project led by Kate Hyun may help close it. Its March 2026 announcement describes surveys, simulator studies, and planned AI-driven training modules for drivers ages 16 to 22 with ADHD, high-functioning autism, or DCD. Testing was expected to begin before summer 2026. The announcement reported no results.
Our view: Use simulation for structured practice and close observation, not as a proven treatment for DCD. The tradeoff is time. A layered plan takes more sessions than a standard course, and the payoff has to show up later in supervised driving.
3. How simulation can help: build the skill in layers
Gentle's team suggests starting learners with DCD in low-demand settings, such as an empty parking lot, and adding complexity as skill and confidence grow. They also suggest an automatic car may reduce motor demands. A simulator lets you apply the same idea before the student drives in traffic.
The plan below is our instructor planning example, based on that research. It isn't a validated DCD program.
Start with car control on a simple road
Let the student learn the wheel and pedals before you judge hazard skills. Look for steady speed, a stable lane position, and smooth stops on a straight road.
Add one demand at a time
Move to curves, then intersections, then traffic and pedestrians, then weather. Change one thing per attempt. If performance drops, step back one layer instead of pushing through.
Practice the hard parts on their own
Parking, tight spaces, and steering technique can each get their own practice. At The Driving Experience, a VDI customer driving school, owner Lina Kreter describes a student who uses Free Drive to practice U-turns and hand-over-hand steering. She coaches beside students and asks "what they think a given scenario requires of them and why." Her account doesn't describe students with DCD, but the coaching method fits. You can read Lina Kreter's full account of coached simulator lessons.
Watch effort, not just errors
Coordinating every movement takes more conscious effort for many people with DCD. Keep sessions short enough that the student stays fresh. Stop if they feel unwell, frustrated, or overwhelmed.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways. This is a hypothetical planning example; confirm which lessons your system includes.
| Layer | Practice focus | Example NDE lessons | What to observe | Road check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Car control | Steering, pedals, steady speed on a straight road | Tutorial, Pre-Assessment | Smooth inputs and stable lane position | Empty lot with an instructor |
| 2. Curves | Setting speed before a bend, then steering through it | Free Drive on a chosen route | The line through the curve; number of corrections | Gentle curves on a quiet route |
| 3. Space | Gaps, following distance, parking | Following Distance, Space Management, Parking | Gap size and final parking position | Parking lot practice |
| 4. Hazards | Spotting and responding while keeping control | Hazard Detection, Intersections, Sharing the Road | Time from hazard to response; lane kept during the response | Supervised residential driving |
| 5. Conditions | Keeping earlier skills when conditions change | Weather and Road Conditions, Free Drive | Whether layers 1 to 4 hold up | Supervised drives in varied conditions |
4. Review the drive, then pick one next step
Start by separating two kinds of mistakes. Did the student see the curve coming but turn the wheel late? Or did they not plan for it at all? The first is an execution problem. The second is a planning problem. Each needs different practice.
Ask three questions after each drive:
- What did you notice first? Find out when the student saw the curve, gap, or hazard.
- What did your hands and feet do? Talk through speed and steering, not just the outcome.
- What will you change next time? Agree on one action to try.
Record the lesson, conditions, prompts, response, and next goal. When performance improves, try a variation without the prompt. Remembering where a hazard appears isn't the same as noticing a new one.
Mind confidence, too. Adults with DCD in the Shipley survey reported lower driving confidence. Name specific progress, such as "two corrections on that curve instead of five," so the student can see it. For a broader teaching sequence, see our six steps for adapting driver education for neurodivergent students.
5. Check NDE's fit and connect practice to the road
Our NDE curriculum has 14 structured lessons, including a pre-assessment, Following Distance, Space Management, Parking, Hazard Detection, and Free Drive. Its Vantage reporting shows lesson completion, time on task, scores, assessment results, and key driving behaviors. Hardware comes in two lines: the compact Desktop Series with a full-size steering wheel, and the self-contained, car-like Full Cab Series.
During a demonstration, ask to see the exact lessons and reports you'd use. Which behaviors are recorded? Which will your instructor need to watch? Don't assume a score captures steering smoothness or correction counts. Ask about the pedal and transmission setup, too, since Gentle's team pointed to automatic cars as a way to lower motor demands.
If a learner also has attention challenges, our guide to ADHD and teen driving and how to coach attention covers that side. For significant motor needs, the family may also want an assessment from an occupational therapist or driver rehabilitation specialist.
Carry each layer's goal into supervised driving, starting in a low-demand place like an empty lot. Simulation complements required instruction. Confirm your local licensing and training rules, including any medical reporting requirements.
What instructors should take away
- Look closely at curves, parking, and hazard response while the student handles the car.
- Build skills in layers and change one demand at a time.
- Separate execution mistakes from planning mistakes before choosing the next practice.
- Treat simulation as practice and observation; DCD-specific training evidence doesn't exist yet.
- Confirm each layer in supervised driving before calling a student road-ready.
Common questions about dyspraxia and driving
Can people with dyspraxia learn to drive?
Yes. Many do. The licensed drivers with DCD in the 2024 Shipley survey had held a license for 17 years on average. Learning may take more time, though. Kirby's 2011 survey found fewer students with DCD had learned to drive, so plan for extra practice.
Is an automatic car easier for a learner with DCD?
It may be. Gentle's team suggested automatic cars can reduce motor demands by removing gear changes. That's a suggestion from their discussion, not a tested result. Check how an automatic-only license would work under your local rules.
Does a student with DCD need to tell the licensing agency?
Rules differ by state and country. Check with your licensing agency and the student's healthcare provider rather than assuming one answer applies.
Can a simulator score show a student is ready to drive alone?
No. A score describes performance on one task. Use it with instructor observations, supervised road practice, and your licensing requirements. Avoid setting one pass score for every student with DCD.
Plan the first layer
Pick the one driving task your student finds hardest, such as curves or parking. Then see how NDE lessons and Vantage reports could support that first layer of practice and review.
Request a DemoSources
- Gentle, Brady, Woodger, Croston, and Leonard, Driving Skills of Individuals With and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia), Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2021.
- de Oliveira and Wann, Driving Skills of Young Adults With Developmental Coordination Disorder: Maintaining Control and Avoiding Hazards, Human Movement Science, 2012.
- Kirby, Sugden, and Edwards, Driving Behaviour in Young Adults With Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, Journal of Adult Development, 2011 (SWOV library record).
- Shipley and colleagues, The Self-Reported Driving and Pedestrian Behaviour of Adults With Developmental Coordination Disorder, PLOS ONE, 2024.
- University of Texas at Arlington, UTA Research Aims to Make Driving Safer for Neurodivergent Teens, March 12, 2026.
- NHS, Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) in Adults, reviewed March 30, 2026.
- Virtual Driver Interactive, Novice Driving Essentials Curriculum and Reporting.
- Virtual Driver Interactive, Customer Experience: An Asset Like No Other (Lina Kreter, The Driving Experience).