We're moving. How do I prepare my autistic child?

What should we actually do on moving day?

Arrange a trusted adult's supervision while doors are open and people carry boxes. Tell everyone who is responsible for the child and when that responsibility changes. Offer a quieter safe place with a familiar caregiver if that suits your child; do not leave them alone in an unfamiliar room or make another child responsible for safety.

Keep communication aids, needed medication and familiar comfort items accessible rather than packed out of reach. Follow the existing care plan for medication; this page does not advise changing doses. Where feasible, prepare a comfortable sleeping area and familiar routine, while respecting your child's preferences about the new space. These are planning options, not a guarantee of a calm moving day. Pause and adapt if the arrangement is not working; adult convenience is not a reason to push a distressed child through a task.

Does my child's IEP move with us?

In the US, if your child has an IEP under IDEA and moves to a new public school district during the school year, a federal rule, 34 CFR 300.323, sets out what the new district must do. Which part applies depends on where you move.

Same state, same school year. Under 300.323(e), if your child had an IEP in effect in the previous district, transfers to a new public agency in the same state and enrolls in a new school within the same school year, the new agency, in consultation with you, must provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) "including services comparable to those described in the child's IEP from the previous public agency," until it either adopts that IEP or develops, adopts and implements a new one.

Another state, same school year. Under 300.323(f), the new agency, in consultation with you, must provide FAPE, including services comparable to those in the previous IEP, until it conducts an evaluation "if determined to be necessary by the new public agency" and develops, adopts and implements a new IEP, "if appropriate."

Records. Under 300.323(g), the new agency "must take reasonable steps to promptly obtain the child's records," including the IEP, from the previous one, and the previous agency "must take reasonable steps to promptly respond to the request." Moving the records is the schools' job; your child's services under these rules don't depend on you carrying them. You can still ask to see your child's records: under 300.613(a), the school must respond without unnecessary delay, before any IEP meeting, and no more than 45 days after you ask. You may also ask for copies to keep.

These rules cover a move between US public agencies within the same school year. If you move over the summer, to a private school, with a 504 plan rather than an IEP, or outside the US, ask both schools how they'll handle it. Either way, ask the new school which services your child will receive while the IEP is reviewed, and when they'll start. This is general information about the federal rule, not legal advice for your child's case.

What about therapy and other health care?

Ask current and prospective providers how they will coordinate a transition, with the appropriate consent for sharing records. Request a useful summary of current support, communication needs, goals and safety information. Ask who will be responsible for each step and what to do if there is a gap. Recommendations and availability may differ across ABA, speech therapy, occupational therapy and medical care; one profession's rules do not automatically bind another.

Contact potential providers early and ask about eligibility, funding, referral requirements, waitlist policies and realistic start dates. Ask how each waitlist works; calling early doesn't guarantee a place or a start date. Discuss unfinished goals with the current team without rushing treatment or assuming every new provider will restart from zero. Arrange a new primary-care contact and ask how to obtain needed prescriptions and records within the existing care plan. No provider availability, insurance coverage or uninterrupted service is established by this guide.

How do we keep the new house safe?

Plan the new home's safety around your child, with the adults who'll supervise and, if wandering or water is a concern, with your child's pediatrician or care team. Before your child arrives, walk the home and street for exits, traffic and nearby water. The AAP's wandering guidance lists options to consider, such as locking outside doors, door alarms, identification and a family supervision plan; which ones fit depends on your child, and none replaces supervision. Keep every exit usable in an emergency, follow local fire-safety rules and ask qualified local fire-safety personnel before adding a lock; never use a lock or restraint that traps someone inside.

If there's a pool or other water at or near the new home, check it before your child arrives. For home pools, the AAP recommends a non-climbable fence at least 4 feet high on all four sides with a self-closing, self-latching gate, and notes that some states require 5 feet. Keep a current emergency plan and contact details where caregivers can find them. If you're considering an ID or tracking device, talk through its fit, comfort and privacy with your child and their team. Anderson and colleagues' parent survey documented wandering and its hazards; it doesn't predict what your own child will do. If a child is missing or someone is in immediate danger, call emergency services right away (911 in the US; your local emergency number elsewhere), and tell responders about nearby water and your child's communication or medical needs.