If you’re reading this article about moving with special needs children, I bet you’ve already thought of finding a doctor, replacing your current services and therapies, choosing a new school, and finding new autism resources. Of course if the process was as straightforward as replacing old with new, relocating wouldn’t be considered a major life stressor for people with or without special needs. Today we’ve got some tips to help you move with your autistic or other special needs child.

1. Find the right school for your child first. We suggest leaving your child at home so that a they don’t rule a school out simply because a kid bumped into them or a balloon popped during the tour.
2. Do not focus on the challenging parts of your move. This is key to avoiding meltdowns.
3. Pack more underwear than you think you’ll need. Same for prescriptions. And earplugs.
4. Make sure your child has all of their immunizations and a complete physical before the move. It’s easier to take your child somewhere familiar to him and this will help streamline their school entry process.
5. Make friends ahead of time! Meetup.com can be your best friend and it exists in a lot of cities. You’ll be able to find groups tailored to your interests, special needs, and/or specific location long before your move. You cannot overestimate the value of talking to people living in the area that you’re moving to about grocery stores, doctors, adaptive sports leagues and pretty much anything else you can think of.