Summary
Mason Connor, diagnosed with autism at 2.5 years old, was nonverbal until his parents discovered leucovorin, a folic acid-based drug used to counter chemotherapy side effects.
Within days of taking it, Mason spoke his first words. Dr. Richard Frye, a pediatric neurologist, believes leucovorin can help many autistic children but lacks FDA approval due to low profitability.
Nonprofit Every Cure advocates for repurposing existing drugs for new treatments.
Mason, now 5, is set to start mainstream kindergarten.
This is likely a case of cerebral folate deficiency, it’s a pretty rare disorder, although possibly under diagnosed.