The POND Network
There are many children and youth in Ontario with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), and intellectual disability (ID). Although the field has made significant gains in the treatment of some of these disorders, our ability to change long-term outcomes remains limited.
The POND Network brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists, clinicians, engineers and community stakeholders who share the goal of improving the long-term outcomes for children with ASD, ADHD, OCD and ID. This network will perform biomedical research studies aimed at understanding these disorders, and will create, for the first time in Canada, a clinical trials network that specializes in childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, in order to speed up the development of new and more effective medications and psycho-social interventions.
Moving Knowledge
into Practice
The POND Network will create a system for transferring knowledge related to neurodevelopmental disorders to the right people, at the right time and in the right format. This will be achieved by developing and supporting collaborations between researchers, clinicians, policy-makers and parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders in Ontario. Emphasis will be placed on analyzing and communicating new research advances —through presentations, meetings, websites, newsletters and scientific reports — in a way that helps new knowledge transition into improved policies and practices for children and youth with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families. By doing this we hope to:
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increase awareness and knowledge around neurodevelopmental disorders;
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support Ontario’s health researchers, clinicians and policy-makers in their efforts to better understand and implement evidence-based treatments for these conditions; and
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improve health outcomes and quality of life for children and youth with neurodevelopmental disorders in Ontario, Canada and around the world.
