Wa - Ex Wants To Relocate For His "job"

Edited to add: if his parenting plan is accepted I'll have them less than 20% of the time. My parenting plan gives him a minimum of 40% of time with the children.

Location: Washington State

Hi everyone,

I’m in the middle of a custody situation in Washington State, and could really use some guidance from anyone familiar with Washington family law or relocation cases. Currently we're sharing visitation close to 50/50 although our current parenting plan doesn't reflect that. It was set when they children were quite young. I am the custodial parent currently.

I have two young children. One of them is autistic and has weekly therapy here in our home state, which is an important and consistent part of their care. My ex-husband is now trying to get a court order to relocate them to Oregon because of his job but I really feel like it's more for his new girlfriend and to reduce or eliminate child support.

I strongly feel this isn’t in their best interest—beyond disrupting their therapy, it would mean constant long travel, breaking routine, and taking them away from their established support system, friends, community, and family.

Recently, he filed documents including declarations, responses, a motion for adequate cause, and a temporary order to relocate. He's got way more money than I do and he's hired an attorney. I can't find an attorney for less that 5k and the NW Justice Program declined to help because of their caseload.

Here are some of the things I’m trying to figure out:

Can I ask the court to require him to share in attorney/filing costs since this relocation attempt is causing me to have to fight legally to keep stability for the kids?

What’s the best way to argue against relocation specifically when it affects autistic children and their established therapy/care routines?

Has anyone successfully prevented relocation in Washington by showing it wasn’t in the “best interest of the children”?

My biggest concern is protecting my kids’ stability and therapy schedule. I’m overwhelmed and scared that the judge might allow this disruption. If anyone has experience with Washington custody/relocation cases, or knows what arguments the court tends to listen to, I’d appreciate any advice.

Thanks in advance.

TLDR: my ex is trying to relocate with our two children to another state because of his "job" (I think it's really because of his girlfriend, & to reduce child support). One child is receiving therapy for autism in our home state every week. My ex, me, and my children have lived in this area all of our lives. Our family is here. We currently have close to 50/50 visitation. How can I prevent this without an attorney?