A WOMAN from Northborough, Massachusetts in the US north-east has shared on social media the dramatically successful treatment she administered to her verbally silent autistic son.
Julie Marie Paquette was alerted to the treatment after hearing US Health Secretary RFK Jnr mention the use of Leucovorin as a possible treatment for certain autism symptoms, especially speech delay.
He made the comment during President Trump’s recent press conference on autism and Tylenol.
“Of course, I reached out to our pedi, and the response was exactly what I expected: ‘Oh, I don’t know enough about it. There haven’t been big enough studies. I’ve never prescribed it before’, yada yada. Okay, fine,” she said.
“So, I go into Mama research mode. I wanted to understand what Leucovorin actually does, and if I could find something similar OTC.”
Ms Paquette soon discovered that Leucovorin helps convert folate into 5-MTHF, which is the usable form of folate that can actually make its way to the brain. “Some kids with the MTHFR gene mutation can’t make that conversion on their own. So I found a 5-MTHF supplement online and decided to try it.”
The supplement she bought was Triquetra methylfolate 5MTHF plus methyl B-12. Leucovorin is described at various medical websites as “a type of Vitamin B used to treat some types of anaemia when they occur during pregnancy and infancy or caused by liver disease, inadequate food intake…”
“Forty-eight hours after his first dose, we were in the car at a stoplight, and out of nowhere he said, ‘Go please!’ I was in total shock. He’s basically nonverbal, aside from echoing what I ask him to say. There’s no real functional language, just a few memorized phrases from me repeating them 40k times. But spontaneous speech didn’t exist.
“Later that day, I picked all three kids up from school. As I was about to pull out of the parking lot, Alston said, very slowly and deliberately, ‘Let’s go home now.’ Asher yelled, Mom! Alston talked!
“About an hour after getting home, his ABA tech (online monitoring program) said he was talking more. My heart exploded that another person noticed it and it wasn’t just me being overly hopeful.
“The next day I was driving him to feeding therapy, and he read a book out loud. A whole book. By himself. I was sitting there thinking OMG, what’s happening? I knew people wouldn’t believe me so I took a video of him and sent it to a million people, lol.
“This is why I fight so damn hard for RFK. People give me so much crap for it, but he’s literally one of the only people asking the hard questions and looking for answers for kids like Alston.
“Bottom line? Listen to the moms. And don’t be afraid to question the science.”
Meanwhile on September 25th, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated the approval of leucovorin calcium tablets for patients with cerebral folate deficiency (CFD), “a neurological condition that affects folate (a vitamin essential for brain health) transport into the brain”.
“Individuals with cerebral folate deficiency have been observed to have developmental delays with autistic features (e.g., challenges with social communication, sensory processing, and repetitive behaviors), seizures, and problems with movement and coordination,” the FDA announced.
“The FDA has conducted a systematic analysis of literature published between 2009-2024, including published case reports with patient-level information, as well as mechanistic data, and has determined that the information supports a finding that leucovorin calcium can help individuals suffering from CFD.
“We have witnessed a tragic four-fold increase in autism over two decades,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “Children are suffering and deserve access to potential treatments that have shown promise. We are using gold standard science and common sense to deliver for the American people.”
The FDA is working with GSK, the innovator of Wellcovorin (leucovorin calcium), on a process to include the essential scientific information needed for the safe and effective use of these drug products for adults and pediatric patients with CFD. As the New Drug Application (NDA) holder for this medicine, GSK has preliminarily agreed to work with the FDA on this relabeling effort.
“The FDA is collaborating with GSK to broaden the existing Wellcovorin label,” said George Tidmarsh, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “This effort reflects the FDA’s commitment to identify opportunities to repurpose drugs to treat chronic diseases. The FDA remains committed to finding and treating the root causes of autism.”
CFD has also been reported in a broader patient population with neuropsychiatric symptoms, including autistic features, and detectable serum autoantibodies to the folate receptor alpha; however, there are limitations on the available data for the use of leucovorin in this population and additional studies are needed to assess safety and efficacy.
