This collection of featured resources was created to help clinicians better understand and support neurodivergent patients. You’ll find patient stories, recorded webinars, practical tools, and our free, evidence-based clinician guide.
Everything is Connected to Everything: Improving Healthcare for Autistic & ADHD Adults project – Clinician Resources
Why is this important?
- Neurodivergent patients often struggle to access healthcare
- The life expectancy for an Autistic adult is 36-54 years1,2 – cardiovascular disease and suicide are leading causes3
- ADHD adults are 4 times more likely to die prematurely4
- 69% of Autistic adults have untreated health problems5
Why is it hard for neurodivergent people to get healthcare?
- Neurodivergent Healthcare Experiences: Patients share their stories (59:54 video with transcript)
- When Patients Give Up on Healthcare (blog post)
- Shifting the Autism Narrative: The Impact of Stigma on Health (1:05:27 video webinar with text summary)
How can we make healthcare easier for neurodivergent patients?
- “The Best Way to Support My Health is to Believe Me”: New study from University of Vermont (57:35 video with transcript)
- Practical Strategies for Neuroinclusive Healthcare (55:09 webinar with text summary)
- Brain Club® Digital Resource Library – Healthcare
Want more neuroinclusive healthcare resources? Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR‐P) grant for supporting parts of this project. Click here for additional information about this sponsorship.
We are also deeply grateful for the generous contributions of our community members who have supported this project with their time, skills, and philanthropy.
We would like to acknowledge the following clinicians for reviewing and providing feedback on these resources: Gabe Worzella, DO Tina D’Amato MD, Rachel Lovins MD, Irene Krechetoff MD, Tara Meyer APRN, Jes Macleod APRN, Moriah Krason MD, Alex Tentler MD, Miriam Sturgis MD, Cynthia Swartz MD, Peter Sher MD, Amy Laurent PhD, OT, Danielle Kent MS, CC-SLP, Leah Sophrin MS, CC-SLP, Hannah Bloom MOTR/L, Weili Gray MD, Iris Warchall DPT, Heather Thompson DC, and Jenny Blair MD.
“Reflecting on my patient panel, I realize I see patients with these patterns. I will use this resource frequently!”
“I had no idea there were all these connections in the literature. I also learned so much from these patient stories. This is so useful for primary care clinicians.”
“This website has been super helpful to me as a clinician and community member. Thank you!”
– Feedback from Clinician Reviewers
References
- Guan J, Li G. Injury mortality in individuals with autism. American Journal of Public Health. 2017;107(5):791-793.
- Hirvikoski T, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Boman M, Larsson H, Lichtenstein P, Bölte S. Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2016;208(3):232-8.
- South M, Costa AP, McMorris C. Death by suicide among people with autism: beyond zebrafish. 2021;4(1):e2034018.
- Søren Dalsgaard, Søren Dinesen Øtergaard, James F Leckman, Preben Bo Mortensen, Marianne Giørtz Pedersen. Mortality in children, adolescents, and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a nationwide cohort study. The Lancet, 2015; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61684-6
- Doherty M, Nielson SD, O’Sullivan JD, Carravallah L, Johnson M, Cullen W, Gallagher L. Barriers to healthcare for autistic adults: Consequences & policy implications. A cross-sectional study. medRxiv 2020.04.01.