Moving house with an autistic child: a calm plan for the move

Moving house takes away the one place that was predictable. The move itself is a few days; the job is to carry as much of the old routine into the new rooms as you can, and to show every step before it happens.

Before the boxes

Visit the new house or walk past it, and photograph the rooms, the front door, the street, the nearest park. Make a small photo book or a picture strip: new house, my room, kitchen, garden. Read the moving story a few times. Count down the sleeps on a calendar.

Pack their room last, unpack it first

Their bedroom stays untouched until the last morning, and goes up first in the new house, in the same layout if the room allows.
A ‘special things’ box travels in the car with you, never in the van: teddy, blanket, tablet, the picture schedule.
Let your child pack and label one box of their own. A job beats watching.

Moving day

Removal days are loud, long and full of strangers lifting things. If a grandparent or friend can have your child for the middle of the day, take it. Otherwise give them a safe corner with headphones and the strip: breakfast, people carry boxes, lunch, car, new house, my room, dinner, bed.

The first night

Same bedtime, same order, same story, same night light. Say what will be different out loud: new sounds, a different window. Sleep in the same room for a night or two if that helps. Expect wobbles for a couple of weeks; it is not a sign the move was wrong.

Settling in

Keep the first weeks boring: same meals, same school run if you can, no visitors for a while. Walk the new routes together before they are needed (school, shop, park). Put the new routine on the schedule and let your child tick it; a ticked list is a known day.

Make the free story first

Type your child’s name and get “Sam moves house” as a picture story: one picture and one sentence a page, in their name. Read it a few times before the day, then take it with you. Print it, save it as a PDF, or read it in the Now & Next app with every routine as a story too.

Make the story (free) Open the app

Kits that go with this guide

First Times Story Pack (£3.49): 26 one-page picture stories for first times: school, the dentist, hospital, a plane, a new baby, Christmas and more.
Bedtime kit (£3.49): A bedtime board, picture cards and a going-to-bed visual story.
Everything bundle (£14.99): Every kit in the shop in one download: 24 kits and 500+ picture cards, plus the Card Maker. Save £74.27.

Written by a dad to an autistic son with ADHD. This is everyday parenting advice, not medical or therapy advice. If you’re worried about your child, talk to your GP, health visitor or school SENCo.