Dr. Nichols, my son is 27 years old and has Asperger's.  He can't drive because he is too emotionally volatile.  He experiences road-rage in traffic and is distractible.  His social anxiety is so severe that getting on a bus to go to work is troubling to him.  Are there any services that could provide transportation to people with Asperger's?   Thanks, Mary.

Hello Mary.  Many young people with Asperger's syndrome do experience emotional problems associated with driving.  Driving requires multitasking and lots of sensory data processing of all kinds:  noise, lights, moving vehicles all around, signs, pedestrians, hot sun beating in, and finding ones way to a specific location.  Sensory overload and difficulty with multitasking are common problems for people with Asperger's.  One possible avenue to take may be professional driving instruction and lots of practice with a responsible adult.  People with Asperger's can learn to overcome many of the problems they experience with driving.  Counseling may also help.    There is a transportation system called Van Tran in Tucson that transports people with disabilities but one has to have received a clear diagnosis that qualifies them for disabilitiy services.  At present, Asperger's syndrome is not considered a disabilitiy in the state of AZ.  However, if anxiety and/or depression are a significant problem for your son, he may qualify for a mental health disability designation.  You would need to go to the Department of Economic Security to initiate that process.