Mission, vision & values
GNC's mission, vision and values
Mission
The GNC is dedicated to improving the knowledge, health and quality of life for all people and families with neurodevelopmental disorders/neurodiversity conditions and Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations (ESSENCE). ESSENCE (including autism, ADHD, DCD, language disorder, intellectual disability, tic disorders and early onset eating disorders, such as ARFID) is one of the leading causes of mental and physical health problems throughout life and across the world. Through early screening and diagnosis, psychoeducation, and other interventions and treatments can be put in place so that psychosocial outcome can be greatly improved.
The primary mission of the GNC is to conduct high quality epidemiological, informant-based, genetic, neurobiological, clinical, outcome and intervention research aimed at generating front-line knowledge and information necessary for understanding genetic and early-life mechanisms underlying ESSENCE and for the development of the best possible medical and psychoeducational interventions and treatments of tomorrow. The GNC is also committed to providing education and training to scientists, clinical researchers, students, and the general public who will perpetuate and extend the fight against the psychosocially devastating consequences of unrecognized ESSENCE worldwide.
Vision
The GNCs vision is to build clinical and basic science collaborative scientific teams that can combine clinical expertise with epidemiology, genetics, molecular biology, chemistry, neuroimaging, neurophysiology, mathematical modelling, statistics, technology and engineering to create novel approaches to understanding and deciphering causes and consequences of ESSENCE. Using this knowledge, we will advance basic research to clinical application, interventions, and general population information sharing.
The GNC is now a worldwide network (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Scotland, England, France, Portugal, South Africa, Mongolia and Japan) of collaborative clinical and basic research workers who will continue to foster a creative environment of discussion in an open-minded, "old and young", risk-taking and sharing context.
Values
- Propelling the understanding of ESSENCE through innovation and groundbreaking research and investigation.
- Fostering teamwork and collaboration, institutionally and worldwide, to combat the negative consequences of unrecognized ESSENCE.
- Empowering affected individuals, families, clinicians, and scientists to take risks and act boldly on ideas with transformative potential.
- Sharing of ideas, data and knowledge across "specialist" and "special people" to drive progress in the understanding of ESSENCE, interventions and treatments.
- Building an inclusive ESSENCE-neurodiversity community.