Seventeen-year-old Orion Martin climbed into the driver’s seat of the driving simulator in a classroom at The Faison Center — a nonprofit education and treatment center near Willow Lawn that serves individuals and families affected by autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities — and buckled his seat belt.

Instructor Ting Chen, a behavior analyst, went over a list of 15 rules and other expectations associated with the simulator before Orion went to work, starting with the basics: the proper techniques for turning the steering wheel and the correct footwork for operating the gas and brake pedals. He moved on to a series of incrementally challenging — and potentially frustrating for students for whom anxiety is a common reaction to new experiences

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