Plan and follow the route of a journey

Many thanks for your comments on this.
My son is unable to use a satnav because he cannot cope with the verbal instructions as he drives. The one time he tried a satnav he just panicked when he heard the instructions and switched it off.
The complexity of carrying out multiple mental actions for someone with his cognitive problems (aphasia) means he is unable to plan a route.
I am at the appeal stage and am not sure quite how to prove/demonstrate this inability to plan a route.

Thank you Lynsey.
My son had his stroke when he was 4 years old. He didn't receive any medical support for the effects of his stroke, just special needs statement through his school years His stroke was over 30 years ago and I think stroke support and rehabilitation is much more widely available now than it was then. So his problems with walking, memory, and anxiety have only recently been addressed with physiotherapy and he is awaiting psychological counselling.
He did pass his test first time (much to his, and our, surprise). Of course the tester tells you where to drive so no route planning is required. He drives an adapted car as the stroke severely affected his right side.
We train him by driving him through the route (a few times) and then accompanying him when he drives the route as many times as he needs until he is confident enough to drive himself. He only drives a few local routes ( 5 miles max) and hasn't got lost yet. Other heart problems restrict his stamina. He is unable to drive and keep concentration over distances beyond 5 miles.

Ok I think you've got a very good case actually. I've never met anyone who could drive and actually fit this descriptor. But this to me sounds liek someone who needs help with route planning.

Two things you might want to think about: what happens if there is a road traffic accident or diversion? If he cant plan a route and can't use a sat nav (I would say this sounds like he has problems with executive dysfunction if he cant follow instructions) then how does he reroute the car? Does he have a back up route for example?

Can your son walk to places on his own without a route being planned out for him or go on a bus? Part of this descriptor includes the effects of bus stops or signs etc on a route and whether someone can cope with them (in my case i orientate myself via text so for example when scaffolding was erected in my street I couldn't see certain shop signs which was quite confusing)

One of the booklets i read (i think it was on here) actually states that people are unlikely to actually score points on this activity unless they have had a brain injury (i count stroke under this category), a visual impairment or a learning disability / developmental disorder such as down syndrome. The exception being someone who is agoraphobic who can't leave the house.

What a fantastic achievement for your son passing his driving test. If I were you I would llook into local Headway hubs, they may actually be able to help with route planning techniques. They may not of course be any better than what you are already doing but then you would be able to say to the DWP that he is seeing someone specifically for that activity. It's just a thought.

I would like to thank everybody for very helpful comments on this problem.
I have now completed the appeal form and await DWP response.

I would be very interested to know how you get on x