Parents of autistic children have opened up about some of the common misconceptions people have about their kids – from believing girls don’t have autism, to suggesting they can’t be autistic because they can speak.

When people misunderstand autism, it can lead to diagnosis being missed and needs going unmet for a long period of time, according to Great Minds Together (GMT), an organisation that supports children and young people with special educational needs.

The support group asked its network of parents for some of the most common stereotypes or assumptions about autism they’ve come across.

Instead of saying some of the unhelpful phrases below, Emma Mander, co-founder and director of GMT, urges people to be “open, understanding and listen to the behaviour of young people”.

“All behaviour is a communication of need – are we meeting that need? It is about what we should do differently as adults, not what they must to do confirm to our expectations,” she says.

Here are some things you should definitely not be saying to parents of autistic kids – or the children themselves.

1. ‘A child can’t be autistic if they’re verbal’

Around 25-30% of kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are minimally verbal (meaning they speak fewer than 30 words) or don’t speak at all, according to Healthline.

That means the rest are verbal – but there’s still a common misconception that autistic kids don’t speak at all.

2. ‘They can’t be autistic because they give eye contact’

Another misconception that often needs addressing. Yes, some autistic people struggle to make eye contact – but certainly not all.

3. ‘They must be a maths genius’

There’s a common misunderstanding that all autistic people are superior at maths –........

© HuffPost