Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices in Early Childhood An Empowering Guide to Diverse Development and Play

Introduction

Put it into Practice: The Principles of Neurodiversity-affirming Practice in Early Childhood

Chapter One: Introducing neurodiversity in the context of early childhood

Chapter Two: The role of ableism in early childhood

Put it into Practice: Ableism Audit

Chapter Three: The Myth of Universal Child Development

Chapter Four: The role of self-directed play in neurodiversity-affirming practice

Put it into Practice: Environmental Foundations

Chapter Five: Play-full, Rest-full and Stress-less Environments

Chapter Six: Affirming curriculum, documentation and goal setting

Put it into Practice: Neurodiversity Affirming Documentation

Last words

Biography

Kerry Murphy is an autistic and ADHD early years specialist in neurodiversity, SEN, and disability. She adopts a neurodiversity affirming framework and is currently a lecturer in early education and SEN. She has worked for a range of local authorities, early years settings, and schools offering training, consultancy, and support. She has also written and worked with several early years organisations including Anna Freud, Nursery World, Early Education, and Thrive.

"This book is a vital step forward in ensuring neurodivergent children are truly seen and respected for the brilliant, capable, playful people they are. Radical, thought-provoking and deeply researched, it is a must-read for parents and practitioners alike. Murphy seamlessly blends social justice, education theory, and practical exercises to create a book which is at once challenging, inspiring, and profoundly hopeful, showing us how nurturing and affirming early-years education could be." - Eloise Rickman, author of It's Not Fair: why it's time for a grown-up conversation about how adults treat children

"With care, experience and a neuro-affirming perspective this book takes a stand against the pathologisation and suppression of the play of neurodivergent children in all its joy, creativity, mischief, normativity dismantling and beauty. Murphy writes with clarity and lays out actionable steps to enable supporting adults to improve the experience of neurodivergent children in their settings. She does this whilst holding onto the nuance required to grapple with complexity and perpetually unfinished nature of an inclusive practice. I look forward to referencing this text heavily when training early-years professionals on creating inclusive and authentically neurodiverse play and educational spaces." - Max Alexander, Play Radical

"It is refreshing to read a book specifically focussed on children in the early years that simultaneously centres neurodiversity and play but does not shy away from the essential lenses of so many other intersections of a child’s identity including race and the impacts of systemic racism. Kerry has the ability to make her books accessible in terms of her writing style which is so important for everybody who is involved in the education and care of children. The general lack of understanding about neurodiversity means that there are a number of children for whom a positive experience of early learning and play is not granted. This book is a brilliant aid in helping educators engage and increase their understanding about the urgency of such a topic." - Liz Pemberton, Early Years Anti-racist Trainer and Consultant and Founder of The Black Nursery Manager Ltd