Myths about parenting children with special needs

It also aims to debunk unhelpful - and incorrect - assumptions about how children with special needs behave - and suggests how we can all challenge those assumptions to help alleviate the stress this places on parents.

With our campaign partners, Every Disabled Child Matters, Contact A Family and Mencap, and with help from the National Autistic Society, we've pulled together six common myths about children with special needs.

• MYTH 1: Behaviour disorders are a fashionable excuse for bad behaviour and poor parenting

• MYTH 2: If your child has a disability, you're given lots of easily accessible support

• MYTH 3: People who get disability-related payments for their children are scroungers

• MYTH 4: Language about special needs doesn't matter

• MYTH 5: People with autism are unaffectionate geniuses

• MYTH 6: you can always tell when someone has a disability

• Back to This Is My Child homepage

• Read the discussion about the campaign's launch

August 2013

Last updated: over 1 year ago