Amanda Kirby University of South Wales, UK
Amanda Kirby has held had a chair in developmental disorders in education at the University of South Wales since 2008. Her PhD was in emerging adulthood in developmental coordination disorder (DCD), from Leeds University. She is also a qualified general physician. She founded The Dyscovery Centre, a specialist centre for children and adults with developmental disorders, in 1997 and ran it until 2015. She is chair of Movement Matters, the U.K. umbrella organization for movement difficulties. She is also a patron of the Dyspraxia Association in New Zealand, medical advisor to the Dyspraxia Foundation in the United Kingdom, and a past advisor to the Dyspraxia Association in the Republic of Ireland. She has been on the international scientific committee for DCD and was part of the committee for the European guidelines for DCD and the 2019 International Guidelines for DCD. She is the CEO of Do-IT Solutions Ltd., a company providing person-centered assessments and support for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) and related difficulties. Her interests and publications have focused on NDDs (particularly DCD and co-occurrence) and their impact on children, adults, and their families. She has run large-scale research trials and European Union projects and has published books and peer-reviewed papers in the field. She is active on Twitter and LinkedIn where she promotes Neurodiversity awareness and shares advice and support strategies.