A few special considerations if your move consists of a long car ride:

• Use a behind-the-seat organizer to store your child’s items. Be sure this is within his or her reach. This will enable you to focus on your driving and maintain an organized car while you travel.

• Take frequent rest stops, either at designated rest areas off of interstate highways or at gas stations. Allow your child to run around outside if it is safe to do so. If your child needs a visual cue to know when the next stop will be, bring along a timer and set it for 60 minutes. This way, your child knows that when the timer goes off, he or she will be able to get out of the car. Alternately, you can tell an older child to look at the clock in the car and that when it reaches your chosen time, you will pull the car over for a break.

• If you know your child enjoys playgrounds, do some research in advance and find some playgrounds along your route. You can use the Internet to find this information. Tell your child that the next stop will be at a playground so they have something to look forward to.

• Try to plan your trip around times of the day that are routine nap times or bed times. You may choose to start your trip at night when your child normally goes to sleep. This will (hopefully) ensure your child be asleep for most of the car ride.

• Get a map and draw a line along your route. Show your child each city and state you are passing through. Use a line to show your child where you are “now” and where you need to drive before you get to your final destination.

• Initiate creative games using the things you see along the road:
  • Bingo game: before your trip, prepare a bingo sheet using pictures or words of things frequently seen on the road.
  • Alphabet game: take turns finding things that start with a designated letter until you get through the entire alphabet.
  • License plate game: write down all the license plates you see from different states and see how many you can find by the end of your trip.
  • See MomsMinivan.com for more car game ideas that you can modify for your child’s age and developmental level.

• If your child has an oversensitivity to sound, take a look at this transcript from the National Public Radio weekly show, Car Talk. Hosts Ray and Tom Magliozzi (otherwise known as Click & Clack) discuss cost-effective options for minimizing road noises that can be painful to children with autism.

• Most importantly: be realistic. Do not expect your child to sit placidly in a car seat for a 15 hour drive. Set realistic goals for how far you’ll travel each day based upon your child’s needs. Plan to spend the night in a hotel. Take the long drive and turn it into a mini-vacation where you can see a few sights and take your time getting to your destination. When you try to rush travel, it produces more stress and anxiety and increases the chances that you will forget something. Take some deep breaths and relax. Bring some soft music for the drive to help you relax, especially if you get caught in a traffic jam!