Folinic acid improves verbal communication in children with autism and language impairment: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
Frye RE, Slattery J, Delhey L, Furgerson B, Strickland T
Published in Molecular Psychiatry
Methodology
12-week double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial of high-dose folinic acid (2 mg/kg/day, max 50 mg/day) in children with non-syndromic ASD and language impairment, subtyped by folate receptor-alpha autoantibody status.
Key Findings
Improvement in verbal communication was significantly greater with folinic acid than placebo (5.7 standardized points, Cohen's d=0.70); folate receptor-alpha autoantibody status predicted response.
Conclusions
High-dose folinic acid improved verbal communication in children with ASD and language impairment, particularly in autoantibody-positive children.
Limitations
Small single-centre sample, short duration, subgroup-driven findings needing replication.
Supplements Studied
Improvement in verbal communication was significantly greater in participants receiving folinic acid as compared with those receiving placebo.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
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Disclosures
Funding
Not specified
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