Magnificent Minds: The New Whole-Child Approach to Autism

An essential primer based on a renowned new model of care that is comprehensive and research based, while honoring the uniqueness of every child

An estimated one in thirty-six children in the United States is diagnosed with autism. New research has shed light on the many factors that determine a child’s trajectory—but many parents are still navigating this complex terrain without a road map. Pediatric neurologist Dr. Suzanne Goh has spent decades working with autistic children, and in this practical and research-based guide she shares her renowned and revolutionary model of care: an innovative, whole-child approach that combines optimal medical treatment with the most effective strategies for advancing cognition, communication, and behavior.

Demystifying a wide range of diagnostics and therapies and offering new insights into the neurological, biochemical, behavioral, and social factors that play a role in successful outcomes, the book is an essential resource for understanding all of autism—a strengths-based approach that helps parents design a comprehensive treatment plan. It is also a celebration of what each autistic person brings to the world—and how parents can best nurture the remarkable uniqueness of their child while setting them up for the future they envision.

Suzanne Goh, MD, BCBA, is cofounder and chief medical officer of Cortica, the largest provider of comprehensive health services for autism in the United States. Cortica began in Goh’s one-room medical office in San Diego ten years ago and has grown to a staff of more than a thousand doctors and therapists who serve tens of thousands of autistic children and their families in the United States and abroad. A graduate of Harvard University, Oxford University, and Harvard Medical School, she is former codirector of Columbia University's Developmental Neuropsychiatry Clinic for Autism, where she conducted research on the biological causes of autism and used brain imaging to identify patterns of neural circuitry and brain chemistry. Goh is currently a faculty member of the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs and is a frequent speaker for parent advocacy organizations. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and two children.