Mel Houser, M.D., Executive Director, All Brains Belong VT (9/20/2023 Neurodivergent patients are dying. The average life expectancy for an Autistic adult is 36-54 years, with premature cardiovascular disease and suicide as leading causes.1 ADHD adults are 4 times more…
Author: Melissa Houser
Blog: Doctors & Patients – Bridging the Double Empathy Problem
Patients come to All Brains Belong because their needs were not met by the traditional healthcare system. I spend a lot of my day hearing patients describe their experiences of being misunderstood, dismissed, invalidated. Shamed. Traumatized.
The Double Empathy Problems allows us to see that the true villain of those stories is not an individual, but a system.
In the short video clip above, you can watch me and my colleagues here at All Brains Belong, Gabe Worzella DO and Sierra Miller APRN, discussing how the healthcare system thwarts everyone — patients and clinicians alike. Nobody has their access needs met. And everyone suffers.
WCAX: New program makes health care more effective for neurodivergent patients
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) 8/21/2023 – A new resource kit to help personalize health care for those with autism and ADHD. “I came into All Brains Belong really kind of thinking my life was over, my energy hit an all-time low,”…
Everything is Connected to Everything: Improving the Healthcare of Autistic & ADHD Adults
Autistic & ADHD adults often have multiple intertwined health conditions. The healthcare system often gets in the way of clinicians addressing multiple medical problems at a time. Yet by treating these intertwined medical conditions as separate, this may result in…
All Brains Belong Releases Groundbreaking New Resource
Montpelier, VT (8/15/2023) – All Brains Belong, a leading organization dedicated to supporting neurodivergent individuals, announces the launch of a unique free resource to help improve the healthcare of autistic and ADHD adults. 95% of All Brains Belong’s autistic and…
2nd Annual Community Health Education Fair (Sun 10/1)
Vermont State House Lawn – 12-4PM This year, All Brains Belong is hosting our 2nd Annual Community Health Education Fair at Montpelier Fall Festival! ABB is partnering with Montpelier-Roxbury Partners in Education (MRPS PIE) to celebrate community! Particularly in the aftermath…
Brain Club Archives
Brain Club is All Brains Belong’s flagship community program. This is a weekly virtual community conversation on “everyday brain life” topics. We have made all recordings available for community education, at no cost. If you are able to, we welcome…
Vermont Edition: Families with autistic kids are shifting the conversation to inclusion and affirmation
Vermont Public: The conversation around autism is changing. This hour, we’ll learn how many parents of autistic children are embracing their neurodivergence. They are seeking inclusion in the classroom and affirmation from doctors. This episode of Vermont Edition was broadcasted…
All Brains Belong VT advocates to end to traumatic practices of seclusion and restraint of children in schools
Essex Reporter: All Brains Belong VT advocates to end to traumatic practices of secluding and restraining children in schools (Kate Vanni, 4/25/23) VERMONT — All Brains Belong VT is working to end the traumatic practice of restraint and seclusion still…
WCAX: Challenges autistic individuals face accessing healthcare
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Autistic individuals see the world through a different lens, which can often make tasks like going to the doctor’s office a challenge. Stigmas surrounding autism can often lead providers to dismiss certain illnesses. It can also…