Kerry Murphy is an early childhood specialist with a background in neurodiversity, disability and behaviour. She is a lecturer in early years and SEND at Goldsmiths University and the author of ‘A Guide to SEND in the Early Years, amongst others. She is currently completing her 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.
Kerry’s 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. She offers training and guidance (www.eyfs4me.com) to help practitioners and settings become neuroinclusive, including understanding the role of neurodiversity & ableism and the harms of traditional behaviour management approaches.
