What I’m talking about is a study concerning the use of folinic acid to treat autism. Let me start by explaining what folinic acid is. Also known as leucovorin or Vitamin B9, folinic acid is what folic acid must become in the body to be useful. We know that folic acid is necessary to prevent certain forms of anemia, brain dysfunction like dementia, and heart disease. Pregnant women take folic acid to prevent spinal canal abnormalities in their unborn child. People on certain kinds of chemotherapy take folinic acid to reduce complications. So folinic acid works where folic acid might not because the cell’s ability to change folic acid into folinic acid may be damaged, possibly by antibodies that our bodies make in error called folate receptor autoantibodies. Also important is that folinic acid is safe at almost any dose. In the elderly, folic acid supplementation may mask vitamin B12 deficiency, but we don’t see that problem in children.

The article I am reporting on, which appeared in the European Journal of Pediatrics, published on September 7, 2024, by Panda et al., states that oral folinic acid supplementation is safe and effective in improving autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with more pronounced benefits in children with high titers of folate receptor autoantibodies. These autoantibodies are found more in children with ASD and play a significant role in the development of ASD.

Will folinic acid supplementation become a standard treatment in ASD? Should folate receptor autoantibody testing become a standard test? Right now, both the treatment and the test are either expensive or not readily available, and the answers to these questions may not be available for several years. Your pediatrician may have an opinion about folinic acid supplementation. For right now, the answer is unclear.

Robert B. Golenbock, MD, is currently retired. He has cared for children in the Danbury area for 43 years, including at the Center for Pediatric Medicine. The CPM is located at 107 Newtown Rd, #1D, Danbury, CT, 06810. For more information, please call (203) 790-0822 or visit https://centerforpediatricmedct.com.