Is leucovorin an evidence-based treatment for autism?

At a press briefing in September, President Donald J. Trump announced that the Food and Drug Administration was warning against prescribing acetaminophen to pregnant women, claiming it may be tied to autism in children. The Trump administration instead declared leucovorin, a form of folic acid or vitamin B, the first federally sanctioned treatment for children with autism.

Jared Schwartzer was previously a postdoctoral fellow in the Autism Research Training Program at the University of California, MIND Institute and is currently a professor of psychology and education at Mount Holyoke College. Schwartzer, a behavioral neuroscientist, is studying the impact of various environmental factors during pregnancy on children’s brains and behavioral health. He spoke with the Boston Globe about leucovorin.

“Changing a label for folate deficiency is very different than saying, ‘We have a treatment for autism,’” Schwartzer said.

Schwartzer suggested that leucovorin may improve outcomes for some children with folate deficiencies but fears that marketing the drug more broadly risks misleading families and fueling mistrust in science while ignoring potential side effects. He believes that parents of nonverbal or low-verbal children might be most vulnerable to these promises.

“They just want what’s best for their child, but we need targeted medicine that’s grounded in strong evidence, not a one-size-fits-all solution,” he said.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe.
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