Life Changes and Autism

Different Address, Same Challenges

By Sue Poremba

Donna Richards and her family moved from one side of town to another. She and her family encountered all the typical problems families have when they move, but unlike most families, Richards had an added hurdle helping her son with autism adjust to the change.

For children with autism, change even moving from room to room can be traumatic. It unsettles their world.

"They can't do anticipatory planning," says Kay Murray of Arlington, Mass.,the motherof an adult son with autism. "They can't imagine the 'what if.' It has to be concrete."

Understanding this, Richards, of Galesville, Ala., brought her son Justin to the new house before they moved in and did everything she could to help Justin with the transition.

"We would have been better off if we had moved to a new town," Richard says, explaining that they frequently drive by the former home. "He wasOK the first day or two, but then he saw the old house, and he got upset. We finally had to take a different route."

Difficult as it can be for children with autism, change is a part of life and cannot be avoided. Parents have to be prepared for as much as possible, from a new kid in the classroom to a catastrophic event.

The key, says Nancy Wiseman, author of Could It Be Autism? (Broadway, 2006) and mother to an autistic daughter, is knowing your child. Parents and experts alike are quick to stress that every child with autism is unique. There is no "one size fits all" solution.

"Even the little things like the subtle changes in the child's schedule can throw a family out of kilter," Wiseman says. "Knowing what sets off your child allows the family to plan in advance in order to avoid those triggers."

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