Episode 63 - Surviving (and Thriving in) Neurodiverse Parenting with Professor Amanda Kirby

What does neurodiversity really mean — and how can parents navigate the joy, confusion and exhaustion that can come with it? In this episode, I'm joined by Professor Amanda Kirby, a leading expert in neurodiversity, co-founder and CEO of Do-IT Solutions, and author of more than ten books. Drawing on over 40 years of clinical experience — and her own life as a parent and grandparent in a neurodivergent family — Amanda brings practicality and compassion to a topic that can often feel overwhelming. Together, we explore the tension between the medical model and the neurodiversity movement, why children rarely fit neatly into diagnostic "boxes", and how labels can both open doors and create confusion. Amanda shares practical strategies for navigating transitions, preparing in manageable three-year "chunks", building organisation into family life, prioritising sleep, and forming constructive partnerships with schools. We also talk about the emotional reality for parents — the self-doubt, the fatigue, the systems that can feel adversarial — and why being "consistently inconsistent" is part of being human. You can find out more about Professor Kirby and her work here: https://doitprofiler.com/about-us/