As part of its commitment to supporting neurodiverse children and teens, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has launched a virtual-reality program aimed at helping prepare eligible students to take their driving exams.
“For many teenagers and young adults with autism, learning to drive can be highly anxiety-inducing,” said Dr. David Seo, senior vice president and chief information and digital officer for Nicklaus Children’s Health System. “As a result, many capable individuals with autism avoid pursuing their driver’s license, which in today’s society is a big part of the transition from adolescence to adulthood.”
To empower neurodiverse individuals to be more independent and obtain their driver’s licenses, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital launched the DRIVE (Driving Improvements through Virtual Reality Experience) – a blend of virtual and hands-on driving experiences – to help prepare atypical learners for a successful driving exam.
The DRIVE Program uses fully immersive virtual-reality technology to provide students with an experience that simulates a driving exam. Students receive immediate feedback related to various driving scenarios in which they participate through a computer-simulated instructor. In addition, a trained behavioral analyst helps guide students through each scenario while monitoring student stress and anxiety levels. In addition to the VR experience, students work with the behavioral analyst to learn the rules of the road through a tailored course curriculum.
Once a student is ready to get some practice behind the wheel, they work with an instructor from a local partner driving school in a safe and controlled setting. These partners have been specially trained to work with neurodiverse individuals to promote their success and reduce their anxiety. After the student has mastered all areas of practice, and in agreement with the instructor, they can undergo the official driving exam to obtain their state-issued driver’s license.
For more information on the DRIVE program, please contact DriveProgram@nicklaushealth.org.
In other offerings to support neurodiverse individuals, Nicklaus Children’s Adaptive Care Program assists children on the autism spectrum and those with other neurological differences and their families to optimize the inpatient care experience. Nicklaus Children’s Brain Institute offers a comprehensive program for children on the autism spectrum, as well as offerings for children with other neurological differences. Nicklaus Children’s is grateful to Taft Foundation and UM-NSU Card for generously funding the DRIVE Program.
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
For 75 years, Nicklaus Children's has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children serving close to 70 percent of children in the Miami metropolitan community. In addition, Nicklaus Children's offers care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center's De George Pediatric Unit and select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units. The hospital and its network of more of nearly 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin, and Palm Beach counties. These outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care, and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children's is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children's Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children's Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. The 325-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with over 40 specialties, and an ambulatory surgery center.