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Orders and transfers to new duty stations are part of everyday life in the military.
Rarely do military families establish roots anywhere before the next set of orders has them planning, packing, and executing a move to another duty station. While moving can be a difficult transition for anyone, it can be especially challenging for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as it entails significant and sudden environmental changes.
A general rule of thumb is to start planning for the move as soon as possible. There are several key areas you will want to research and coordinate, including:
The steps below will help guide your efforts in making transitions related to moving as smooth as possible for your family.
Collecting information on the new location is the first step in preparing for a change in duty station. Begin this process as soon as you learn that a move might be on the horizon. You can gather information from websites before making phone calls to the new location(s). Be persistent and patient, because it often takes several attempts to achieve the desired result. Here are some suggestions of places/organizations to research:
Similarly, if your child is 14 or older, you can search for information on pre-employment transition services available through the state’s vocational rehabilitation agency. You can find contact information for the state’s vocational rehabilitation agency by typing the name of the state you will be moving to and “vocational rehabilitation” into a search engine.
The next step is to ensure that you have gathered together all the information that you need on your child as you settle into the new location. The “Creating A Record System” section of Operation Autism has tips on how to organize and store your child’s records. On moving day, make sure the records go with you (not in the moving van) to prevent their misplacement or any unanticipated delays due to movers. Here are some of the key documents/records you will want to have with you:
Once you know that the orders to move is coming, it is time to start making definitive arrangements for the transition to the new installation. At this point, you will need to contact the organizations you researched earlier to make plans for your child’s arrival and arrange to start services. You will want to contact:
Sometimes other parents and families, like Shelly Huhtanen, who wrote the Perspective column this month, can be excellent sources of information about resources and services; they offer perspectives and personal experiences that may be helpful as you make decisions. Social media networks can be great ways to connect with Facebook group for military families at the new installation. By explaining that you have a child with ASD and will be coming to the installation soon, other families in the group may be able to offer you help, answer your questions, and provide recommendations.
Are moves challenging? Oh, yes. Planning and preparation can decrease that challenge considerably for you, your child with autism, and your family. Make use of the Operation Autism website and OAR’s Life Journey through Autism: A Guide for Military Families to make that planning easier and smoother.
This article was excerpted and revised from OAR’s Life Journey through Autism: A Guide for Military Families and the Operation Autism website.