To give context, my kiddo is 5 years old as of this date, and we have been clients of Cortica for about 1.5 years. My kiddo started autism-related therapies (behavioral, speech, and occupational) whenhe was 2, so prior to Cortica we had a couple of years experience with other providers. From our experience, one of the biggest strengths of Cortica is that it offers a comprehensive set of services under one house - prior to Cortica, we had different providers providing different services, so there was an obvious communication gap across teams. Additionally, there were several services that we weren't doing prior to becoming clients. To expand, we currently use Cortica for the following: Family Counseling (for parents), Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Social Group (for kiddo), ABA Therapy, and Music Therapy. In the recent past, we were doing Neurofeedback Therapy - it did not seem to have any notable impact, so consulting with the staff, we decided to stop. We also had a meeting with Dr. Shapiro regarding TVNS and under his consult, we decided it probably wasn't necessary. We had a couple of bio-medical consults, but we haven't been successful in being consistent with supplements (this is really our fault here). In the near future, we are planning to attend the once-a-month Parent's Group at Cortica. In respect to quality of care provided, from our experience, it's been very good all around. Cortica's ABA is different from what we were used to - it's not reward based, rather it's based in the methods described in Spectacular Bond book (sorry, it's a bit hard for me to succinctly describe). In respect to speech and fine & gross motor skills, we have seen our kiddo progress at a good and steady rate - he's still got a long ways to go, but we're seeing him grow. Also, our family counselor has been great and an integral component in everything. She not only listens to personal issues, but also helps us plan and process anything related to our kiddo's development. To re-iterate, she's been integral for us. We've met with Dr. Goh a handful of times and we've always found Dr. Goh to be personable and approachable. We haven't had a need to meet with her often, since the personnel that we've worked with has been solid and helpful. We haven't really experienced a turnover staff problem like we had in the past with previous providers. For instance, we've had a couple of the same ABA therapist for our entire duration with Cortica. I would say scheduling and re-scheduling (e.g., school year, summer) is more an issue. This probably has to do with a supply and demand with resources, I would guess. Last note, I really get a good "team" sense from Cortica, that encompasses my family and Cortica. And I think that's partly due to my wife and I's level of engagement and also Cortica's philosophy on how things should run, which of course is displayed in the staff we work with. read more

My 4-yo son needs speech therapy. Cortica is in network. Scheduled the first evaluation meeting which was a video visit. They asked if he has trouble concentrating - I said yes. They then recommended a neuro evaluation, which I agreed to, even though it's not really a concern of ours. They said they would write up a care plan and schedule a neuro evaluation as well as a speech evaluation (also video visits). These were scheduled two months out - and the confirmation emails didn't mention speech anywhere - just neuro evals. Since we only need speech therapy, I wanted to get clarification that at least one of these next two evals was for speech. I reached out via phone (twice) and message to verify, and they never responded. I got the first bill of $390 for the initial video consult. I'm sure the next two would have been another $390 each, and who knows when the actual, in-person speech therapy would have even started? I cancelled both and reached out to a free provider in San Diego recommended by our school. He is now scheduled for an in-person therapy session less than a month out. In my opinion, it seems like Cortica is more focused on generating revenue from parents via multiple (pointless) video visits rather than getting kids the help they need. The reviews make sense now! read more

We chose Cortica because of the better review. After worked with them for 2 months, they're the same as other places. They only care about money with poorly trained BTs. We changed 3 places within a year. I feel ABA is a scam! 1. They is unable to meet my goals at all. They tried to change the goals and picked easy ones to work around it. 2. Our BT only knows blocking and token. One time, she made my son cry and blocked him in our bedroom. I tried to get in and saw my son bang his head on the door. I'm so unhappy and asked the BT to stop. Then I talked to the BT. I said: there are so many methods of ABA, for example, DTT, shaping, prompting, etc.Blocking is kinda punishment for me. She looks that she never heard of other methods. She said this was the only training she got. I was shocked. It shows Cortica cannot provide a qualified BTs. I requested to have an experience BT, but they did not provide. They found this college student and gave a min training and started to work with kids. 3. They only cares about money. Supervisors never work extra beyond the session hours. They said they would do this and that, and send to me, but they never done anything. 4. In the pre-session meeting, they said they would provide parents training. We never got any parent training at all. 5. Two months later, both BT and supervisor quit the job. Due to their blocking time, we kept the time for ABA. Now we will have to figure out what to do with my son because school already started. We cannot enroll my son to ESS anymore. For working parents, it's hard. They messed up our schedules too. They're not willing to work with your schedule. You have to work with their block schedule! 6. A lot of time, BT just looked at the phone or did nothing. Imagine that you send your kid to their clinic, they're not doing anything. They just babysit your kid. They always say: Oh he/she had a great day. We did this or that. It's just BS! 7. They use screen time as a reinforcer. It's another sign of bad ABA. Any BT uses food or screen time as reinforcers. They're bad ABA. They're supposed to run preference analysis, but they had never done. ABA cannot help kids with ASD at all in current market. If the system is not changed, ABA is just a waste of time and money. Dont get me wrong. ABA is a good concept or method, but 99% people cannot use correctly or know how to use it. Overall, I dont recommend Cortica for ABA read more

Unbelievable. Appt was booked months out which is soo sad! Kept calling to get in sooner and every time I called I made sure to ask if they were in network with my ins and every time they said YES! Just got a email showing $$ and it showed out of network. Ugh!!!! Why?!?! So unacceptable. Been almost two months since appt now I have to start all over again. This is mental health. Nothing to mess with. Def need a office meeting asap read more

Horrible experience! questionable billing practices. I had a 20 minutes zoom call with a nurse for the initial intake then they send me a bill for $408 for an office visit with a "specialist". They are in network with my insurance but because they billed it as specialist visit not a behavioral visit, insurance requires a referral to cover it. During all my phone calls to schedule with Cortica I was told this would be a screening call, no mentioning of a "specialist". They billed for a neurology visit when all what the nurse did was going over my son's history that I provided on the paperwork. If your child is not high functioning, they will not take him. They sent me an email later saying that they are not a good fit for my son but still keep sending the $408 bill for the imaginary "office visit with a specialist". I am surprised they can get away with things like that. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! read more

Many have mentioned that Cortica was thriving four to five years ago. I can't speak to their history, but I can certainly share my experience with their current services. We got engaged with them about a year ago, and it's been an incredibly frustrating year. The management seems completely indifferent to the needs of families and children. The quality of therapy your child receives appears to depend on sheer luck. While some therapists are exceptional, others are not, particularly in the ABA department, where you often end up with inexperienced Behavior Interventionists (BIs). Throughout our interactions with Cortica, the most frequently used word seems to be "Unfortunately." It leaves me wondering what made us so unfortunate in this place. One common issue is the high turnover in the organization, from directors to BIs. Their policies lack transparency, and different people offer contradictory information, especially in their ABA department. They seem to base their "policies" on either their ethics or financial goals. As a large organization, they wield significant power and sometimes appear to disregard the needs of families. BCBA's don't consider parent input, directors are unresponsive to emails, and even resort to threats stop service when parents seek to reduce service hours.Their area manager has been unresponsive to our feedback despite follow-up. The Director of Client Experience and Product has been equally unhelpful, offering empty words and no resolutions to our issues. 4. Arrogant Management: * BCBA and ABA Director threaten to stop your service if you seek to reduce the "recommended" ABA hours. My son started in clinic-based ABA within the PREP program, which is a social setting ABA. His recommended hours were set at 9 per week. The BCBA we worked with consistently ignored our input and seemed dismissive of our concerns. This lack of collaboration left us feeling frustrated and unheard. After a few months, my son showed no improvement and even developed new behaviors from the PREP. We wanted to condense his therapy hours since he was also receiving OT, SLP, and MT. However, our BCBA's response was inflexible, insisting we couldn't reduce hours below 9, despite the lack of progress and gaining new behaviors. She even suggested pausing the ABA if we couldn't maintain the recommended hours. This led to a conversation with the ABA Director, who echoed the same sentiment: "either to pause the ABA or continue with their 9 hrs "recommend" service." We felt threatened and unsupported in our quest for better care. She also made a metaphor that if you went to a doctor for some reason. The doctor said you must take these medicines and treatment to get better. Won't you do as the doctor says. * The Area Manager remained unresponsive after complaint and follow-up. After this I asked their care navigator to get to the contact of the Area Manager. Later on, a marketing coordinator reached out and collected my feedback to send to the Area Manager, after I sent the email and follow up, the marketing coordinator confirmed that the manager received my feedback, but I never received a response from the Area manager. I contacted the care navigator again and spoke with a new director. She offered 20% flexibility in recommended hours and support for my preference to work with a specific supervisor. So, I started another assessment and finally it is time to schedule with BCBA/supervisor. I was replied by both ABA directors that UNFORTUNATELY, my favored supervisor doesn't have an availability, someone else will be assigned. After I sent an email to the director who "promised" me in the summer and told her I would rather wait for my preferred supervisor to have an available spot. She didn't reply. The scheduler reached out and asked the directors, she got the same answer that someone else will be assigned. I mentioned to both directors the conversation I had with the director in the summer, they keep saying the same. I asked if there are any regulations and agreements that I signed that state that Families can't wait for a specific provider. They don't respond. After a week, I followed up with them again. She explained a little bit about there being an expiration date for the insurance authorization and attached the ABA service agreement. However, the agreement doesn't address the waiting situation at all. Then I emphasized that we would rather wait and get another assessment if the current authorization is going to expire while I am waiting. I also attached the conversations that we had with our insurance that we don't need a pre-authorization. I asked them to confirm if we will be the first one to be notified when our preferred supervisor has an availability. Of course, no response from them again.... Despite allowing flexibility in therapist selection for other therapies like SLP, OT, MT, the ABA department didn't extend this option. It left me questioning their policies. Continues in the photos. read more

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I wanted to add getting ahold of anyone is such a hassle. Zoom appointments are a nightmare because links are not sent. I've called over four times for links to be sent through email or text. I think there is a communication issue. Overall, Cortica is poorly managed. read more

We tried Cortica for speech therapy, occupational therapy, ABA, and music therapy. The company itself is a venture capital funded business and it is clear that their focus is more on maximizing profits rather than providing quality services. Scheduling and billing are especially problematic and staff turn-over is very high. After a few months with Cortica we have moved on to other smaller providers who are more flexible in terms of scheduling and who seem to have a more genuine interest in helping kids. The promise of having all of the services for kids with autism spectrum disorders/developmental disorders under one roof is appealing but Cortica's execution leaves much to be desired. I would strongly recommend looking into alternative providers for these services. read more

Regretfully, we tried using Cortica's ABA and OT services for almost a year. Over the first 3 months we had probably 6 different ABA employees. The turnover is incredibly high as the only qualifications are a bachelors degree (in anything) and a TWO WEEK training. We had a range of issues with them including total negligence while playing on their phone to less than desirable interactions with my child (ex: one told my child to "grow up" when he was overstimulated). We paid a lot for my child to gain zero coping skills and lost 10 months to ineffective treatments. It was basically expensive baby-sitting. In addition to this, there have now been multiple appointments we have been charged for that were never even scheduled. It first happened during the course of treatment. More recently we've started to receive notices of overdue payments for appointments in August. We discontinued services last June. Multiple phone calls, messages and emails have gone unanswered. This company is awful through and through and I will be speaking with my lawyer for guidance on next steps for what appears to be fraudulent activity. I'd look elsewhere, or if going here - check your account carefully! read more

I do not discount the vision or mission of your company. I would like that you do not discount my experience. No matter how high your ethical standards are. It is presumptuous to state that all your staff adhere to these measures. This is in fact where things fell short. Taking responsibility and excepting that mistakes were made. Would show that you take responsibility. This response does nothing but open an old wound. I hope my son truly can heal from. The book "What happened to you?" By Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Perry. Show that most childhood trauma has the worst effects at a very young age. I will never forget what happened to my boy at your establishment. I hope he does. It was also not directed toward me. The writer. But your new guest. Whom I'm sure will see write through this. read more

Be careful: very unethical clinic that uses fraudulently bills insurance! I really doubted any 5-star reviews on this provider. Currently there is a shortage for ABA technicians in San Diego. They took advantage of stressed parents. They wanted me to provide insurance information and filled out financial agreement paperwork's. The first 'welcoming telephone call' lasts 10 mins. A nurse talked to me and figured out a few more appointments that I need. Then a scheduler made the appointments for me. For this call, they billed my insurance $350, which still left me to pay $40 of copay. They used bill code 99204. This is typically for 45 minutes that are spent face-to-face with the patient and/or family. This code also "requires these 3 key components: A comprehensive history; A comprehensive examination; Medical decision making of moderate complexity". I wasn't seen by a psychologist, where are these examination or medical decision? Then I looked the paperwork they sent to me. There are eight items that you might have to pay similar to this one, before your kids can receive ABA therapy. At last, because there is a shortage, they don't even know when they can send an ABA technician to you home. You will be put on a waitlist only, after you go through all the eight items on their cost estimates summary. read more

My earlier review was removed by Yelp because " it wasn't clear that it described my firsthand experience of the business". To be clear, we were " first hand customers" and we received their ABA services which were subpar. We had an in home therapist sent who was clearly a newbie at behavior therapy with no experience in dealing with very young clients and despite our repeated requests for her credentials and experience, we were offered none, directly by the ABA director. We were told that the supervisor would be present frequently but were once offered an excuse that " she would have joined but could not" and many sessions that were telehealth by supervisor were marked as " at home". To me, this comes across as fraud. read more

Money hungry business and useless speech therapy. Cortica had bo problem billing me left and right for appointment i went to you and billing me 5 days ahead of time for a pediatric neuro consult (see screen shot below). Their center is like a mental hospital. It's all grey dreary and not inviting for children. We had a session with Macy. She had no idea what she was doing. Upon the visit I took a few mins to tell her about my son and she said "this is great info let me take notes" yet not once did she actually take notes. I asked her what methods they use for expressive speech delay and what are some possible solutions to explore for my sons. She said "we just really follow the child and use play and to build on their words" I asked her what she thought from looking at the long evaluation I did and she said "ummmmm" it was very clear that she had taken zero time to actually look at his chart and evaluation before we met and done no homework. She said "sometimes we use taking toys away to get them to use their words". Sorry but this is the most stupid, vial so called method I've ever heard of. On what planet do you think taking a toy away from a child who cant communicate is going to make them magically say a word? She actually tried it my son cried and we got nowhere he of course didnt magically use a word. It took all my might to not make a scene. I called immediately and spoke to Annie the manager and canceled my sessions and told her about my experience. It was a waste of time and money. Thru do not care about children they care about billing you for every little thing. Please save your money, time and your childs dignity by not going to this place. For anyone interested message me Ill share my emails to them read more

I first met Dr. Goh at a TACA seminar. My son's current pediatric doctor urged me to make an appointment. I did and Dr. Goh had been very helpful...........then she started accepting insurance. You would think this is a good thing but it's not. Quality of care diminished. Our once hour long appointments dwindled down to 20 minutes. Then Dr Goh stopped seeing all patients to focus on more research. Good for her but oversight has been completely lost. A nurse practitioner is now managing all cases until a new neuropsychologist takes residency. Her practice is unique in the fact that she offers everything under the sun for kids suffering from autism. Speech, OT, Music therapy, tutoring, ABA, counseling, ect. Organization isn't PNT's strong suite. In fact, office staff is constantly being turned around. This place still has a lot to offer but it's extremely disappointing to see the quality of care digress and the founder who established this place not very involved anymore. read more

This place was heaven sent for our family. The therapists worked with my daughter for only 6 months before we had to leave due to moving, but the progress they made with my child was phenomenal. She completely blossomed with the help of her team at Cortica. I have nothing but great things to say about each and every person I've come in contact with. I fully recommend Seeing what they can do for your child! They changed our life and we are really really sad to leave. read more

If you are a parent to a child with Autism or have a child with Special Needs, you know how hard it can be to navigate the journey. Before Cortica, my family was dealing with insurance issues to figuring out philosophies and methodologies. I am so thankful for Cortica's dedication and support of my son from the bottom of my heart. All the people I have come across at Cortica are an integral part of my son's life and my family's life. From the therapists, front desk reception, scheduling staff, medical staff, billing staff, ABA staff, they all are the village helping my husband and I raise my son so he can reach his full potential and be satisfied in his life. We have been at Cortica for a year now and I think it was the best decision my husband and I made for him. Cortica is an exceptional place as you can see each staff member support you and your family's needs. The comprehensive approach at Cortica fosters growth in the child as it is building the foundation from its core. Thank you for helping my son learn and grow! read more

We had an excellent experience with Cortica as an ABA therapy provider for our son, from all the companies we've worked with in the past, definitely Cortica-Carlsbad has been the most professional and had the best ABA therapists on staff. read more

I have waited a while to write this review just so there was no emotion swaying those one way or the other. I hope this serves as an objective perspective though to help those seeking care for their child with Autism. Dr. Goh is an incredible academic. I have much respect for her. The problems really didn't arise until Nicholas got involved and Dr. Goh started working more out of the office. He has threatened us with releasing our family from the programs when we complained about schedules, charges and etcetera. It is not my wish to continue care here for that reason alone. We were patient when Dr. Goh left and another provider stepped in. The schedules have finally leveled out and are workable. The staff have all been friendly albeit young and inexperienced as a whole. The overall model/concept was great; however, since Dr. Goh is not as involved, it has become more about the money than the level of care. This is obvious if you spend enough time watching the business and speaking with other parents. Granted, people need to make money but unfortunately, it seems to be the main goal of the company now more than ever. We have opted to go further North to another specialist. Like I said, we really do like Dr. Goh, it is just a shame that management has tainted her business concept. If you have a serious need to help your child with Autism, I would recommended searching further where a doctor like Dr. Goh is heavily involved in her practice that you are in attendance with. read more

Unfortunately, I have never been interested to write a review on Yelp until now. After researching Cortica, I was excited to learn more about their model. I made an appt for an evaluation for my daughter with one of their medical doctors - which turned out to be a sales pitch for the company. They lure you in with all these therapies they provide, but then you are put on a ridiculous wait list with no follow up. This place seems like they are rapidly trying to grow their business with very little care for their clients. Final point - I hope whoever is overseeing this company steps up because it seems sketchy and unorganized - such a disappointment! read more

Dr. Goh and her staff have literally changed our life. We have two children with autism and our younger son is non-verbal and has severe GI issues. We were told that he was "cognitively disabled", a nice word for retarded, as he was not performing the tasks required of him at preschool. Dr. Goh assured us that was NOT true! Non-verbal does NOT mean stupid! (Turns out he was just bored at preschool). Her whole system approach made so much sense as she first tested him for underlying medical issues. Nobody EVER mentioned we should have blood and DNA tests done, never! We were able to get an accurate picture of his health and she could prescribe the right supplements and medications. Also, her team is comprised of family counselors, music therapists, OTs, speech therapists, behavior therapists,etc, etc, not too mention she has the most cutting edge research and technology at her disposal. As everyone is on the same team- ALL his therapists can be on the same page and in agreement on his treatment plan. He is learning to type and we finally have a window into his world.... he is a genius! Intellectually disabled my ass! Autism parents mark my words.... Dr. Goh and her team will give you HOPE and RESULTS. Run, don't walk, to her clinic today! read more

I truly cannot express enough gratitude for Dr. Goh and her team of therapists. Earlier in our daughter's life my daughter was non verbal. We were initially directed to the Regional Center and we learned she had Autistic tendencies, but her symptoms didn't match completely. She was and still is very engaging and compassionate along with a host of other qualities not necessarily associated with Autism. After a few months of therapy through the Regional Center, I saw certain behaviors decrease but she still wasn't speaking. I knew there was something else going on, but didn't know. We eventually were referred to Dr. Goh. Although this woman is very humble, this lady is BRILLIANT! She nailed my daughter's diagnosis very quickly. She gave us the protocol from Johns Hopkins and within 2 weeks our daughter was speaking approximations! My daughter has been her patient for the last few years and her therapists have made massive improvements especially with more exposure to their therapies. We have a year of TK and then, we are all confident that she'll have the tools and capabilities to transition into a neurotypical classroom with little intervention. Dr. Goh and her team is an absolute blessing to our family! The team is open to my concerns and have jumped through many hoops concerning scheduling and billing to get our daughter the frequency of therapies she needs to thrive. There isn't anyone I trust more with my daughter's diagnosis, prognosis and quality of care/development than Dr. Goh and her incredible team! read more