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,”…

Category: News
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…
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…
Restraint & Seclusion in Vermont Schools: Ending the Trauma
All Brains Belong VT is proud to announce a collaboration with Dr. Ross Greene and Lives in the Balance to advocate for the creation of school environments where children with all types of brains can thrive. Specifically, we advocate for…
VT Digger: Vermont lawmakers consider limiting restraint and seclusion in schools
(Peter D’Auria, 3/15/2023) Vermont lawmakers are considering placing restrictions on restraints and seclusion, controversial practices in which students are physically immobilized or detained in school. On Tuesday, the House Committee on Education heard testimony on H.409, which would prohibit schools from secluding students and limit the use of physical restraints. As written, the bill also would require officials to report and track any instances of restraint and seclusion in schools. Advocates argue that the practices can be dangerous and traumatic and disproportionately affect students with disabilities. “That kind of trauma does stick with students and their families,” Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, the bill’s sponsor, told lawmakers Tuesday. “It’s not something that staff and teachers also want to do.” Dr. Melissa Houser, executive director of the neurodivergence advocacy group All Brains Belong VT, testified in favor of the bill Tuesday. “Vermont has made so much effort over the past decade enhancing trauma-informed schools, trauma-informed health care, trauma-informed everything,” she said. “And yet Vermont law currently allows for children to be traumatized by being immobilized by physical force at school.”
Vermont Edition: Neurodivergent Vermonters Share What Inclusion Looks Like
Vermont Public: Host Connor Cyrus on Vermont Edition discusses with panelists what it means to think differently than the “typical” mind. He also interviews advocates, including Mel Houser MD, Executive Director of All Brains Belong VT, who say every brain…
WCAX: All Brains Belong Takes On Community Health Challenge
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – How much damage did the pandemic do to Vermonters’ mental and emotional health? Melissa Houser of the non-profit All Brains Belong said, “Despite there not being a default brain, a lot of the things in society…
All Brains Belong Featured on “Uniquely Human: The Podcast”
Dr. Mel Houser, Executive Director of All Brains Belong, was interviewed on Uniquely Human: The Podcast. Show Notes (8/5/2022): For many years, parents of autistic children and family members, and autistic people themselves have expressed concerns about how they have…