Magnificent Minds: Demystifying Autism with Dr. Suzanne Goh, MD, BCBA

In this episode, I'm taking you inside one of the most important and under-recognized issues in autism: why girls are so consistently missed, often for years, sometimes for decades. I open with a story about a seven-year-old who loves cats, reads chapter books on her own, and holds it together all day at school, until she walks in the front door and falls apart. Her teachers say she's fine...

In this episode, I'm taking you inside a question that keeps so many parents up at night: how many hours of ABA does my child actually need, and who really decides? I open with a scene from a recent New York Times investigation, a little girl woken from her nap after exactly seven minutes because the clinic couldn't bill insurance while she slept, and I explain why stories like that reveal...

In this episode, I'm taking you inside something that shapes every single moment of your child's experience but is so often overlooked: sensory processing. If your child melts down at toothbrushing, covers their ears at certain sounds, seeks out spinning objects, or seems not to notice when they're hungry or hurt, this episode will give you a whole new way to understand what's actu...

In this episode, I'm taking you inside one of the most misunderstood topics in autism: how speech and language actually develop. If your child isn't talking the way you expected, or speaks in scripts and echoes, or can read words but struggles to have a conversation, this episode will give you the framework you've been searching for. I'm joined by Laura Bierck, speech language path...

In this episode, I'm joined by Aqila Armstrong, licensed marriage and family therapist and Senior Manager of Counseling at Cortica, for a conversation we've been wanting to have for a long time: mental health in autism. For Mental Health Awareness Month, we go beyond the surface to talk about why mental health is so often overlooked in autism care, and why that needs to change. One 2021 st...

In this episode, I'm walking you through the essential medical tests that every parent of an autistic child should know about, and more importantly, how to decide which ones actually matter for your child. I cover five key areas of testing in autism: genetics, metabolic and nutritional health, brain function, gut health, and the immune system. For each one, I break down what the research says,...

In this episode, I'm taking you inside one of the most important shifts happening in autism science right now: subtyping. I walk you through the latest research on why autism is best understood as many different conditions under one umbrella, not a single biology with a single path. We look at a landmark 2025 study from Princeton, published in Nature Genetics, that identified four distinct sub...

In this episode, I'm exploring a question that weighs on so many parents: What will the future look like for my autistic child? Whether your child is a toddler, in elementary school, or already a teenager, the thought of adulthood can feel overwhelming. You may wonder when to start planning, what skills to focus on, and how to prepare without letting anxiety take the wheel. I'm joined by t...

In this episode, I'm putting a powerful tool directly into your hands: the Early Autism Awareness Questionnaire for Parents of Infants and Toddlers. This is something I created, and I believe it has the potential to truly change a child's life. I walk you through all 25 questions, section by section, and explain the science behind each one in plain language. We cover family and genetic bac...

In this episode, I'm taking you inside one of the most important and often overlooked pieces of the autism puzzle: inflammation. I walk you through the brain science behind why the immune system matters so much for development (the brain has its own immune cells called microglia that literally sculpt the neural pathways behind language, memory, and behavior), and more importantly, what that me...

In this episode, I'm taking you inside one of the most confusing questions parents face: Is it ADHD, autism, or something in between? I walk you through the brain science that explains why they look so similar (both involve the same brain networks and neurochemistry, which is why 50% of autistic children also have ADHD), and more importantly, how to recognize what you're actually seeing in...

In this episode, I'm speaking directly to parents with young children ages 2, 3, or 4 who are either beginning to explore autism intervention or are already in it and wondering whether your child is getting what they truly need. I know this can be an overwhelming stage. The decisions feel big, the stakes feel enormous, and everywhere you turn, someone is telling you something different. Do thi...

In this episode, I'm taking you inside what makes ABA therapy truly effective. Whether your child is already in ABA or you're still deciding what support is right for them, this conversation will change how you think about therapy. I'm joined by Michelle Hascall, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who leads our ABA team at Cortica. Michelle doesn't just talk about best practices—she openly shares...

In this episode, I'm speaking directly to parents who may be in a tender place right now. Maybe you just received your child's autism diagnosis last week, last month, or you're still processing something you heard months ago. I know you've been on quite a journey, months of appointments, years of wondering, and now you've finally heard it confirmed. I've sat with hundreds o...

In this episode, I'm tackling the question that causes so much confusion and anxiety: What about toxins and chemicals in my child's environment? If you're raising a child with autism, this topic can feel overwhelming. You've heard everything is dangerous, but also that you're being paranoid. So what's actually real? And what can you realistically do about it? I'm joined...

In this episode we're tackling the question almost every parent asks me: What about screen time? If you're raising a child with autism, this topic can feel especially charged. You've heard screens are terrible for development, but also that they help children learn. So which is it? And does screen time cause autism? I'm joined by a colleague from our Cortica team in Massachusetts,...

If you clicked on this episode because you're worried your child might have autism, I want you to know: you are not alone. That fear, that uncertainty, those late-night questions running through your mind—every parent I've met has been there in some form. This episode is for you. In this episode, I speak with my dear friend and Cortica caregiver, Victoria, and talk about her process getting an ear...

In this episode, I'm breaking down three topics that spark intense debate but deserve clear, science-backed answers: leucovorin therapy for autism, acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy, and vaccines. After 25 years in practice and thousands of conversations with parents, I've heard the same questions:  "What caused my child's autism?"  "Was there something I did?...

I'm Dr. Suzanne Goh. I'm pediatric neurologist, board-certified behavior analyst, and Chief Medical Officer at Cortica. Magnificent Minds is where science meets heart in conversations about autism and child development. Each episode, I break down the research, answer the questions parents actually ask, and cut through the noise on topics that matter deeply to families—from early signs and...