Kerry Murphy – Self-directed Play and Neurodiversity in early childhood

There is a common misconception that play does not come naturally to children who are neurodivergent and/or disabled and that they need to be taught how to play funtionally, appropriately and purposefully.

This webinar debunks this myth by reimagining our understanding of play through a neurodiversity-affirming lens and embracing that play has infinite potential. Our role as educators is to explore the diverse patterns of play and to facilitate their intrinsic meaning to children.

About the speaker
Kerry Murphy(she/her) is an early childhood specialist with a background in neurodiversity, disability and behaviour. She is a lecturer in early years & SEND at Goldsmiths University and an author & she is currently completing my doctorate (EdD) in play and neurodivergence at The University of Sheffield. Her research aims to challenge the quality of play-based intervention so that there is a move away from teaching neurodivergent children to mimic neurotypical skills, also referred to as masking.

Her aim in working in the early years is to challenge the deficit narratives about children whose development does not take a typical pathway. She adopts a neurodiversity-affirming stance and believes in strengths-based approaches to inclusion. Kerry also offers training and guidance to help practitioners and settings become neuroinclusive, including understanding the role of neurodiversity & ableism and the harms of traditional behaviour management approaches.

How to watch this webinar