Medical Testing for Children with Autism

About this episode

This episode discusses essential medical tests for children with autism and how to determine their relevance for individual children.

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, what's clinically recommended, and how to think about whether it applies to your child. We start with genetic testing, including chromosomal microarray and fragile X, the two tests that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends as standard for every child diagnosed with autism, and I explain why genetic testing is not about blame or labeling but about understanding your child's biology. I walk through metabolic and nutritional screening, including why mitochondrial dysfunction, which some estimates suggest may affect a third or more of autistic individuals, deserves attention, and why common nutrient deficiencies like iron, vitamin D, and B12 can quietly affect learning, mood, and energy in ways that are easy to miss. I cover EEG and brain function, including how absence seizures can…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Suzanne Goh

Topics covered

• medical testing
• autism
• genetics
• nutritional health
• brain function
• gut health
• immune system

Keywords

• autism testing
• genetic testing
• nutritional deficiencies
• brain function
• gut health
• metabolic health
• EEG
• chromosomal microarray
• fragile X

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Academy of Pediatrics

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

• A Caregivers Guide to Sensory Processing and Autism: Understanding How your Child Sees the World with Christine Adintori · June 8, 2026 · 33 min
• Autism and Language: What Every Parent Needs to Know with Laura Bierck, SLP-BCBA · May 25, 2026 · 33 min
• Mental Health in Autism: Supporting the Whole Family · May 11, 2026 · 26 min
• Autism Is Not One Thing: Subtypes and How to Determine Your Child's Subtype · April 13, 2026 · 20 min
• Preparing Your Autistic Child for Adulthood with Dr. Haley Masterson and Meaghan O'Dea Johnson · March 30, 2026 · 27 min
• The Early Autism Awareness Questionnaire for Parents of Infants and Toddlers · March 9, 2026 · 18 min