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Save £50 with the early bird rate
Early bird booking is now open. Secure your place at the reduced rate and be part of a multi day online event exploring neurodiversity affirming practice in the early years. The early bird rate is available until 31.07.2026.
Why this online summit matters
Too often, early childhood conversations are shaped by narrow ideas of development, behaviour and learning. Children whose ways of being fall outside dominant expectations are too easily misunderstood through deficit based language and practice. This summit creates space for something different. It invites deeper, more humanising conversations about children, families and practice, and offers more affirming ways of understanding development, participation, communication and support.
What your ticket includes...
Five days of flexible learning
Join a thoughtfully curated five day summit with a blend of live and pre recorded sessions, giving you flexibility alongside meaningful opportunities to engage.
Diverse speakers and perspectives
Learn from a range of speakers bringing lived experience, professional expertise and fresh perspectives on neurodiversity affirming early childhood practice.
Continued access to support your learning
Revisit summit recordings and materials for three months after the event, and receive a certificate of attendance to recognise your participation.
Who is this summit for...
This summit is for early years educators, childminders, teachers, SENCOs, inclusion leads, therapists, specialists, parents, carers, students, researchers and advocates who want to explore more affirming, strengths led and inclusive approaches to early childhood. Whether you are new to neurodiversity affirming practice or looking to deepen your thinking, the summit is designed to offer both inspiration and practical value.
Early Educators and Teachers
The summit is designed to support those caring for and educating children between the ages of 0-8 years across a range of settings including childminding, PVI and schools.
Specialists and Professionals
Specialists and professionals such as therapists, consultants and advisors are also welcome to attend to consider cross-solidarity working.
Parents and Carers
The summit is based on solidarity approaches with parents and carers meaning you may find it useful to think about ways of bridging home and setting experiences.
But wait...what about the speakers?
We are currently curating a thoughtful and diverse speaker line-up for the summit. Speaker announcements will be shared gradually over the coming months, with contributors bringing a rich mix of lived experience, professional expertise and fresh perspectives from across early childhood. Follow along on our instagram account for speaker sneak peeks @diversepathways_earlyyears
About Diverse Pathways for Early Childhood
Diverse Pathways for Early Childhood is a growing project founded by Kerry Murphy to reframe how we understand child development, play, communication and support in the early years. Rooted in neurodiversity affirming, strengths led and anti-deficit perspectives, the project was created to open up richer, more humanising ways of thinking about children’s development and participation. As the work has grown, it has also developed into a collective, bringing together a wider community of contributors, perspectives and shared knowledge. Together, Diverse Pathways aims to support more thoughtful, inclusive and affirming approaches across early childhood.
What people say about Diverse Pathways training...
Our collective delivers a wide range of training opportunities. Here is what people say about the training we offer
This was the most useful training I have ever done! It systematically went through the identified problems into solutions and provided a toolkit to get going straight away. As a relatively new therapist this is great to get me started goal setting in an affirming way!
Speech and Language Therapist
Kerry demonstrated immense knowledge and passion for the diverse pathways, which was a major strength of the training. The session was very insightful. Working in a nursery setting with children with speech and communication needs, I believe they have the right to develop in their own way with appropriate support. While they may be seen as diverse, they share the same joy in exploring and learning; they simply need to progress at their own pace to achieve their goals.
Early Years Educator
This training was so informative . Kerry has such a deep knowledge and passion for her area of work and it came through in how she delivered the training and the resources that were also provided. This training has made me rethink how I may observe and how I will move forward with any child who falls under the SEND bracket. I could not recommended this training highly enough. One of the best courses I have been on in a long time.
Early Years Educator
As a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, play is central to our therapy and the support we provide. Traditionally, OT training in paediatrics has focused on developmental milestones for typically developing or able-bodied children. In practice, we can see that this is not helpful for many of the children we work with who are neurodivergent or have a disability. This training really challenges the concept of ‘typical’ developmental milestones, reframes what we mean by ‘play’, and encourages us to view a child’s play from their unique perspective, rather than pathologising their preferred style of play.
Paediatric Occupational Therapist
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