Aaron's pride as he ditches his L plates

Aaron Harding can ditch his L-plates after passing his test.

Unable to hear or speak, and affected by Asperger's Syndrome, Aaron Harding's proud smile talks volumes.

He has just beaten all the odds to achieve every teenage boy's ambition - the freedom to drive a car unaccompanied.

It has taken 3½ years of weekly lessons behind the wheel, but Aaron's dogged determination finally won the day when he was rewarded with a near-flawless first-time driving test triumph.

When the EDP caught up with him, Aaron was wearing the biggest smile in Dereham.

His own delight at deservedly ditching his L-plates was matched by Jolanda and Mark Kerrison's joy in their son's achievement.

"We are just so proud. It really is a life-changing moment for him," said thrilled mum Jolanda.

Now inspirational Aaron has one final hurdle to clear before he finally gets the freedom of the road - finding an insurance company willing to offer him an affordable premium.

For the past seven years Aaron has travelled to a specialist college in Derby where students with learning disabilities are inspired to reach for their dreams. Each weekend Aaron has put that encouragement into practice by having driving lessons with Graham Briggs, who started the British Sign Language driving school in 2007.

Instructions are given in sign language above the dashboard so that the students can see them in their peripheral vision and do not have to take their eyes off the road.

Next month Aaron will begin a multi-disciplinary course at City College, Norwich. He and his family hope this will help him with his next challenge, finding a career.