88 - Leucovorin for Autism Treatment: Longitudinal Trends in Online and Media Portrayal

Publication Number: 1080.88

Caroline Howard, Northwell Health, New York, NY, United States; Julian Franco Jr, Northwell Health, West Babylon, NY, United States; Joseph Mekhail, Northwell Health, New York, NY, United States; Grace Liberatore, Northwell Health, Pelham, NY, United States; Lillian M. Ravikoff, Northwell Health, Bronx, NY, United States; Mary Lowance, Northwell Health, Bayside, NY, United States; Ruth Milanaik, Northwell Health, Great Neck, NY, United States

Background: Leucovorin, a folic acid derivative, gained media attention beginning in Feb 2025 when Mason, a nonverbal child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), reportedly began speaking following leucovorin treatment. In response, many pediatricians began reporting increased requests for leucovorin prescriptions, as parents hoped for similar communication breakthroughs in their own children with ASD. Despite the growing interest among policymakers and parents, evidence supporting its effectiveness remains limited and inconsistent. The portrayal of leucovorin in social media and news outlets over time remains unexplored.

Objective: To conduct a longitudinal analysis on public perception of leucovorin for autism treatment.

Design/Methods: Articles and social media posts were screened for mention of both autism and leucovorin. 58 social media posts and articles published prior to Apr 2025 (early data; 2,505,154 views; 38,597 likes) and 80 from Apr-Jun 2025 (recent data; 2,198,712 views; 70,645 likes) were analyzed (Figure 1). The following data were extracted: perception (for, against, or neutral), physician fact-checking (referencing a physician/post created by physician), mention of scientific findings, story focus (Mason, other patient, general discussion), and spokesperson type (patient, parent, physician, other). Chi-square tests were conducted to evaluate differences in content characteristics between early and later data collection periods.

Results: Favorable perception toward leucovorin increased significantly from 66% in early data to 83% in recent data (p=.037). Physician fact-checking declined from early data (33%) to recent data (15%) (p=.024). Across all sources, only 15% cited scientific findings. Mason's prominence in the discourse declined significantly between data collection periods (p <.001), accounting for 30% of views and 23% of likes in early data but was not mentioned in recent data. Among social media posts, the spokesperson was commonly a mother of a child with ASD (76%). Data summary can be found in Table 1.

Conclusion(s): While online enthusiasm for leucovorin has grown, physician fact-checking has declined, increasing the likelihood of misinformation spreading through the public. The novelty of Mason's story may have triggered the initial popularity in social media, but excitement surrounding leucovorin persists. Clinicians should familiarize themselves with leucovorin and its functions, prepare to educate families, and expect an increase in caretaker inquiries. Additional research should be conducted to better understand the efficacy of leucovorin for use in nonverbal children with ASD.

Figure 1. Examples of content analyzed to evaluate public perception of leucovorin use for ASD.
(a) Mother providing an update on her child with ASD following leucovorin treatment (jenny_jenn86 on TikTok).
(b) Physician providing information on leucovorin use for ASD (pediatric.pod on TikTok).
(c) Facebook post about Mason's breakthroughs in communication following leucovorin treatment.

Table 1. Summary Data Table of Online Content Discussing Leucovorin for Children with Autism
Table 1. Summary of posts mentioning leucovorin use in ASD, comparing content characteristics between old (pre-April 2025) and new (April-June 2025) data.