Driving Simulator Helps Patients Become Road-Ready
Participants achieve greater confidence in driving skills
Recognizing that the ability to drive is an important milestone for people who are recovering from mild neurological conditions, Sacred Heart University Professor Sheelagh Schlegel is leading an occupational therapy (OT) study on the effect of a driving simulator for adults with neurological conditions who want to regain some independence.
The pilot study included five participants between the ages of 19 and 90, all of whom had mild neurological conditions brought on by brain injury, Parkinson’s Disease or stroke. Two participants were disqualified due to COVID, but the remaining participants completed pre- and post-test clock drawing tests, trail making tests, the useful field of view assessments and surveys for participants to self-report confidence and comfort on the road.
Schlegel administered an occupational therapy evaluation and the pre-testing to determine participants’ level of ability and interviewed them about their desire to drive. Five occupational therapy graduate students then worked with the participants for eight one-hour sessions in a Drive Safety R600 driving-simulator, which has adaptive features such as a left-sided gas pedal and hand controls. Another member of Sacred Heart’s occupational therapy faculty, who was not affiliated with the study, completed the post-testing on the participants.
Schlegel has determined that eight sessions are insufficient, as participants have continued to make noticeable progress after their study period ended. She also continues to recruit participants for future rounds of the study, and eight more have joined. Referrals come to her from driving rehabilitation specialists at The Next Street driving schools in the state, Easter Seals of Meriden and from occupational therapists at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Norwalk Hospital, Yale New Haven Hospital, Tully Center at Stamford Hospital and the Carolton Chronic Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center in Fairfield.
Two people who participated in the driving simulator study have gone on to pass the on-road test. “My confidence is very high,” reported one. “It wasn’t when I started, but now it is.”
“I am looking for my freedom,” said another. “In order to have freedom, you have to be able to do things for yourself.”
“It’s like any other OT intervention,” said Schlegel. “If I’m working on interventions to improve reach during an activity of daily living with a patient, we are looking for improvement on range of motion. Here we are looking for improvement in pre-driving skills such as lane keeping reaction time and visual scanning of the roadway in the driving simulator. Then we will gather data on how many clients actually passed the on-road assessment.”
Photo caption: Driving simulator at the Center for Healthcare Education occupational therapy suite