How Commentary Driving Helps Teens with ADHD and Learning Challenges Learn to Drive

When working with a student driver, coaches need to maintain a lot of situational awareness. The coach is responsible for observing everything going on outside the car as well as monitoring the student’s behaviors, questions, and non-verbal cues. Then coaches must allow their observations to inform how they interact with the driver. It takes a lot of practice!

After decades of working with thousands of drivers, I’ve learned that the best teaching method is not always the one that works for the average student. Some teens need fewer questions, simpler prompts, and a coaching style that lowers stress while keeping them engaged. When I recognize that the teen driver is easily overwhelmed by dialogue, it’s a signal that I need to adjust my coaching to work with the student’s strengths. This is where commentary driving comes in, and I highly recommend it to parent coaches who are struggling with communication in lessons.

What is commentary driving?

Commentary driving is a teaching technique where a student driver says out loud what they see, what they are noticing, and what they are doing while driving. Instead of answering repeated questions from a parent or instructor, the teen narrates the driving environment in real time. This can be especially helpful for teens with ADHD, anxiety, processing challenges, or learning differences because it reduces the pressure of back-and-forth conversation while still helping the coach understand what the teen is noticing.

Why Questions Can Overwhelm Some Teen Drivers

In a standard driving lesson, the coach asks a lot of questions. These questions are never intended to trick the driver. Rather, they are a tool for helping the driver stay alert to all the different things happening at once. These questions help the driver scan the environment, verbalize their decisions and actions, and stay focused on the present. Some of my most common questions are:

• What are the signs telling you?

• What color is the car behind you?

• What’s the speed limit?

• What else?

They are simple questions, but they help the driver remember what they are supposed to be doing at any given moment.

However, with some teens, these questions are more distracting than instruction. If a teen has ADD, ADHD, or other learning challenges, they are working hard to pay attention to their driving task, and the questions can stress their processing centers. If the teen shows signs of stress when I initiate dialogue during a lesson, I know that we need to adapt to something more helpful.

How Commentary Driving Can Help Teens with ADD, ADHD, or Other Executive Functioning Challenges

Commentary driving moves communication from dialogue to monologue. Rather than answer questions, the student will verbalize what they see and what they are doing throughout the lesson. This tells the coach what the teen driver is processing and what they might be missing.

The coach will minimize their own talking and use simple reminders like, “Talk to me about what you see ahead” to keep the teen driver alert. Since the teen driver only needs to talk about the things they already see and think, they do not get overwhelmed by having to think of an answer to a question.

Research shows that commentary driving helps students react quickly to and avoid driving hazards. Driving coaches can keep track of things that the student misses and bring them up at the end of the lesson. These items can be reviewed again at the beginning of the next lesson to help the student progressively grow their awareness of driving conditions.

Who Commentary Driving Can Help

Commentary driving can be helpful for teen drivers who become overwhelmed by too many questions, verbal instructions, or corrections during practice. This may include teens with ADHD, anxiety, autism spectrum differences, executive functioning challenges, auditory processing difficulties, or other learning differences. It can also help any new driver who freezes, shuts down, or loses focus when a parent asks too many questions from the passenger seat.

How to Try Commentary Driving with Your Teen

Start in a low-stress environment, such as a parking lot or quiet neighborhood. Tell your teen, “For the next few minutes, I want you to say out loud what you see and what you are doing. I’m going to stay mostly quiet unless I need to help keep us safe.”

Examples of Commentary Driving Statements

Some of the things you should hear them say are,

• “I see a stop sign ahead.”

• “I’m checking my mirrors.”

• “There’s a car coming from the left.”

• “The speed limit is 25.”

• “I’m covering the brake because that car may pull out.”

If your teen stops talking, use one short prompt: “Tell me what you see.” Avoid stacking multiple questions at once.

Student First Driving Lessons Produce Safe Drivers

While there are definite standards and procedures to coaching a new driver, it is never an exact formula. Good coaches see each student as an individual and adapt their style to what will be most productive for the situation.

If you are struggling to communicate well with your teen driver, a simple adjustment could make all the difference. Check out The Parent’s Guide to Teen Driving to learn more ways to coach your teen through driving lessons. If your teen has learning challenges, consider professional safe driving lessons. We are trained and certified to support teen drivers with techniques that are specific to their needs.

FAQs About Commentary Driving

Is commentary driving good for teens with ADHD?

Yes, commentary driving can be helpful for some teens with ADHD because it reduces the pressure of answering repeated questions while driving. Instead, the teen narrates what they see and what they are doing, which can help the parent or instructor understand what the teen is processing.

What should a teen say during commentary driving?

A teen might say things like, “I see a stop sign,” “I’m checking my mirror,” “The car ahead is slowing,” or “I’m moving my foot to the brake.” The goal is to verbalize what they see, what they are thinking, and what action they are taking.

How is commentary driving different from traditional driving instruction?

In a question-based lesson, the parent or instructor asks the teen to respond while driving. In commentary driving, the teen talks through the driving environment without waiting for questions. This can lower stress and help the teen stay focused.

About the Author, Todd Avery

Todd Avery is the Founder and Owner of Safe Driving Coach and has over 40 years of experience behind the wheel. Todd has coached thousands of drivers, including teens who are just getting behind the wheel for the first time. Todd’s instruction focuses on lifelong safety habits, situational awareness, defensive driving, and vehicle control. He is also trained and certified to work with neurodivergent drivers, including students with learning differences, executive functioning challenges, attention deficit disorders, and anxiety.