Moving Schools: Frequency, Correlates, Reasons, and Move Types for Autistic and Non-Autistic Children

Background. Moving schools can be a stressful time for children and parents, particularly if the move is outside a regular school transition. While qualitative research has reported that autistic children may move schools more often, quantitative comparisons with non-autistic children have not been undertaken. Method. Parents of autistic (n = 183, Mage 12.13, SD 3.19) and non-autistic (n = 62, Mage 12.48, SD 3.38) children who had made at least one non-structural school move completed an online survey. Questions asked about the number, type and reasons for school moves, and included measures of child and parent factors potentially associated with school mobility. Results. There was no significant difference in the number of moves between groups (U = 5291, z = -.874, p = .382, r = .13). The most common move was mainstream-to-mainstream for both groups, although by the third move, autistic children were less likely to make this move type (OR 0.15). Concerns about the child’s mental health, wellbeing, and behaviour were common reasons for moving across both groups. However, concerns about support were cited by 41% of parents of autistic children for the first move, compared to just 16% in the non-autistic group. Conclusions. This study shows that moving schools is a complex and multifaceted issue, particularly for autistic children. The findings underscore the need to examine how schools respond to the diverse needs of children and whether systemic factors play a role in moving schools.