What one TV show reveals about neurodivergent-affirming care and how Violet is working to quantify it.

The Pitt is a drama series that chronicles the lives of doctors in the emergency wing of a Pittsburg hospital. Although the show is fictional, it doesn’t shy away from the realities of the post-pandemic health care system: understaffing, underfunding, and burnout. 

In a recent episode, second-year resident Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden) steps in to treat Terrance, an autistic patient and competitive table tennis player with an injured ankle. It’s a short scene, but it’s one that feels instantly familiar to anyone who’s needed care that truly understands how neurodivergent people think, feel, and communicate.

The scene begins when senior resident Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball), a skilled and generally well-meaning physician, dismisses Terrance’s concerns. Terrance is clearly agitated and upset, but Dr. Langdon brushes him off as arrogant and misinformed, even comparing him to a four-year-old asking too many questions. Instead of engaging with the patient’s fears about how a misdiagnosis could impact his game, Langdon grows frustrated when Terrance uses technical terminology and doesn’t respond in a standard way.

What happens next is one of the most thoughtful portrayals of neurodivergent-affirming care we’ve seen on screen.

Dr. King enters the room, notices Terrance’s autism diagnosis in the chart, and immediately adjusts her approach. She dims the lights, closes the door to reduce sensory input, listens without interrupting. She doesn’t rush him or redirect him, she engages him on his terms. As a result, she’s able to accurately diagnose his injury and explain next steps in a way that feels clear and safe.

Her calm, attuned presence doesn’t just help Terrance, it also makes an impression on Dr. Langdon. He watches, quietly surprised, and later commends Dr. King’s success. 

The scene doesn’t position Dr. Langdon as a villain. Instead, it captures something all too common: the tendency for well-trained providers to fall back on routine when time is short and patients don’t communicate “as expected.” Dr. King’s approach challenges that default, and you get the sense that it may change how Langdon practices moving forward.

Dr. King’s skill in communicating with Terrance isn’t magic. It’s not about having a special gift; it’s about experience, self-awareness, and training. She explains to Dr. Langdon that she has a sister “on the spectrum,” and the show suggests that Dr. King may be neurodivergent herself. Her lived experiences shape how she shows up as a doctor and are part of what makes her such a competent, adaptive, and trusted physician. Actor Taylor Dearden has shared that Dr. King’s neurodivergent traits—from hyperfocus to emotional intensity—are grounded in reality, not caricature.

Quantifying neurodivergent-affirming care

This short scene from The Pitt shows us what personalized and responsive health care looks like. And at Violet, we’re making it measurable.

We believe every patient deserves care that meets them where they are—and that starts with knowing which providers are equipped to deliver it. That’s why we’re building the infrastructure to make high-quality, personalized care not just possible, but scalable.

Using a combination of machine learning and provider participation, we benchmark clinicians across populations that continue to face systemic barriers to care and experience worse health outcomes, including neurodivergent individuals, as well as TGNC, BIPOC, and LGBQ individuals, veterans, and those living in rural communities. 

Violet Benchmarks go beyond a simple checkbox of whether or not a provider can care for a specific patient group. We analyze claims data to understand how often providers care for these populations, assess their education and training history, and collect self-attested insights into their lived experience, clinical interests, and community ties. This multi-layered approach helps determine whether a provider is equipped to deliver care with the kind of preparation, empathy, and adaptability that Dr. King models so powerfully on screen.

We also offer clinical education that simulates real-life scenarios, such as Dr. King’s interaction with Terrance, so providers can practice these skills on their own time. From navigating environmental sensitivities to adapting communication styles, our courses are built to help clinicians translate intention into action.

That’s the future we’re building at Violet. One where readiness to deliver affirming care is visible, measurable, and rewarded.

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