While it's true that parents and schools have a weird relationship with ASD, with some parents doing anything to refuse the label no matter how apt, at other times with officials and parents going out of their way to do things like label kids with symptoms of severe trauma as having ASD, along with a long tail of higher SES parents who see claiming various special ed needs (not just ASD ones) as a way to get more resources for their children, particularly in states where they can get additional vouchers or payments with a label, these things don't really change a ground truth: severe autism is not easy to hide or easy to fake, and cases are increasing.
IMO diagnostic drift is maybe a fine thing hem and haw about when it comes to mild cases.
But it's basically a form a bike shedding because the severe cases are so incontrovertible and so much more common than they used to be. You can't claim that kids with severe cases are okay and just out to get money because they're so obviously and clearly not well. And schools have gone from maybe having none to a couple per grade to needing whole classrooms or even schools to safely handle high severity autism over the last 50 years.
You could maybe instead claim that "when achieving any semblance of normalcy is impossible, society shouldn't spend so much effort," but that is usually not a well-received message because it sounds like the forced institutionalization or incarceration of the mentally ill or locking them in bedrooms to be forgotten.
Similarly, there are some situations where the repercussions of severe early childhood trauma get diagnosed as autism, but these are also situations where you'd still have a massive service need, so there's no cost reduction to be had, just a proportionally small chunk of misdiagnosis.
For those replying: I did not mean this would seriously work, but that it would be par for this administration to basically bring cereal ads from Saturday morning cartoons into the CDC.
The evidence is from a study with N=40. Not 40,000. 40.
It's worth noting that, in the absence of pre-registration, one should should assume that the body of literature (and any systematic review or meta-analysis that relies on it) could be significantly influenced by the file drawer effect.
Anyway, I looked at a recent systematic review from those search results (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8622150/), and it found exactly one double-blind RCT (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5794882/) that seemed to support what the FDA is saying here. It had a fairly short duration (12 weeks) and a small cohort (48). I'm not medical expert but I do read medical literature as an amateur, and I'm pretty sure this is nowhere close to the standard of evidence for establishing safety and efficacy that the FDA used to demand. It feels like we may be reverting all the way back to the evidentiary standards that allowed crap like thalidomide onto the market.
Do we understand the cause of autism or how this supposed cure works?
* who this applies to (some studies suggest genotype and autism subtype matter for getting positive outcomes)
* what the side effects are (12 week studies of <100 people are not enough to safely deploy this as a long-term treatment at scale)
* how this compares to behavioral treatment (ABA and sensory interventions have reliable positive outcomes as well)
I think there's a useful signal there, but we need to be cautious rolling things out at a national scale without bigger studies.
The wording, my emphasis added, certainly suggests this is a new med for CFD even though the title mentions Autism symptoms, not CFD
Search for the word autism in the release and tell me if you think this treats what they suggest in the title. It would be every other word if they believed it.
Kinda funny how in all this chatter no one is talking about MTHFR etc.
Seems like it works only for a very specific type of childhood autism, but if my child had this I would be kicking down doors to get it. The article has some good insight into how honest researchers feel about their work being trumpeted by the scientifically illiterate carnival barkers in charge of things.
The whole concept of a cause and cure is really damaging to the autistic community and just flying in the face of any sort of intelligent diagnosis and treatment.
In today's political climate, nobody should be revealing their autism status to anyone remotely connected to any level of government. Nor should one trust any sort of medical advice or reporting from same. Our government is explicitly targeting minorities of all sorts for abuse and persecution.
Now is, unfortunately, the time to hide and weather the storm. That or flee to another country with a functioning society.
Please protect your autistic children and friends. Times are real, real bad for them right now.
I'm a foreigner, not even in the USA. Your politics are melting down but I feel like the FDA isn't tracking or seeking to harm you.
>In today's political climate, nobody should be revealing their autism status to anyone remotely connected to any level of government. Nor should one trust any sort of medical advice or reporting from same. Our government is explicitly targeting minorities of all sorts for abuse and persecution.
Pretty strong argument against socialized medicine. Here in Canada the government actively tracks each of these. For example to get the covid shot, they wanted to know about my autism, non-binary/trans etc. They werent just asking everyone this, I didnt bring it up because why would it matter? I was in their system. I also happen to know this data is being transferred out of country to CDSI; ASN 23498.
>Now is, unfortunately, the time to hide and weather the storm. That or flee to another country with a functioning society.
I dont think you need to flee the usa. Canada has drastically reduced migration, you dont want to come here. Europe maybe?
I would have liked to see some citations. I’m mostly curious about the sample sizes
https://www.reddit.com/r/Autism_Parenting/search/?q=leucovor...
My hope is that this does lead to breakthroughs in understanding the mechanism for some types of autism, and perhaps even a "miracle" drug akin to how stimulants can radically transform the brains of many with ADHD.
It's interesting how USA politics has polarized the autism community so heavily.
Leucovorin only helps in 1 of 6 ways the prenatal damage occurs.Sucks as well that it's prescription.
L-Methylfolate might work as well, as a supplement alternative? Havent tried it. Same with NAC, havent tried it.
CBD will help, no thc allowed, no alcohol allowed.
Omega 3 fish oils will help.
Hot showers will help.
Whole foods, low carbs will help.
tencentshill•1h ago
A company that operates like that sees opportunity in this US administration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSK_plc
vkou•1h ago
throwup238•1h ago
ryandrake•1h ago
mpalmer•1h ago
atmavatar•1h ago
The best solution is to improve education to help people see through the bullshit that got us here. In particular, teach people that campaigning through memes, emotional appeals, and demonization of minority groups are big neon signs that the campaigning group does not have your best interests in mind.
cbeach•1h ago
Be careful around powerful words with meaning (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism ). If we casually use these words to refer to people we simply disagree with - one day, when actual fascists start rising, we'll have taken all the meaning out of the language we rely on to identify them.
bongodongobob•1h ago
cbeach•1h ago
* Dictatorial leader - Trump ceded power at the end of his last term, and the opposition had a term. That doesn't happen in a dictatorship.
* Centralised autocracy - Trump has maintained the US political system with its checks and balances.
* Militarism - As with his previous term, Trump is more interested in creating peace treaties (e.g. the Abraham Accords) than participating in wars.
* Forcible suppression of opposition - Democrats have not been suppressed
* Belief in a natural social hierarchy - Trump believes in meritocracy, not any other order.
* Subordination of individual interests for the perceived interest of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy - Trump is the archetypal capitalist - he believes all people should strive to produce with free enterprise, and have an ownership stake in the means of production via the free market. Fascist regimes, on the other hand, have a top-down regimentation of the economy akin to socialism (which is no surprise, as Musollini and Hitler were both socialists before they developed fascism).
esseph•1h ago
imoverclocked•48m ago
imoverclocked•51m ago
Jan 6th is a well known counterexample
> Trump has maintained the US political system with its checks and balances
Trump has used emergency powers to do almost everything since the start of this term. This includes tariffs.
> As with his previous term, Trump is more interested in creating peace treaties
He has increased funding to DHS and renamed the DoD to DoW (Defense vs War)
> Democrats have not been suppressed
Melissa and Mark Hortman were murdered by a right wing nut job. Charlie Kirk (a YouTuber) was given the honor of flags at half mast for a week.
The rest of your arguments also don’t jive with what I know about him.
cbeach•29m ago
Trump took to social media to denounce political violence on that day, but a small bunch of unorganised Trump supporters entered the Capitol during a protest. One person was tragically killed (a Trump supporter). The political transition happened.
> Trump has used emergency powers to do almost everything since the start of this term. This includes tariffs.
He's made a number of executive orders to achieve the actions he promised in the manifesto that got him democratically elected. Few politicians have been as true to their word as Trump, in terms of delivering the change that the people voted for.
Trump has not changed the political system. He has merely used its existing executive powers.
> He has increased funding to DHS and renamed the DoD to DoW (Defense vs War)
So what? What wars has he started? How does his record compare to the Democrat presidents that preceeded him?
> Melissa and Mark Hortman were murdered by a right wing nut job.
You found one incident of a nut job. That does not mean the Democrat opposition has been suppressed by Trump. And what do you say about the multiple assasination attempts on Trump?
It's clear where the political violence is coming from.
MSFT_Edging•1h ago
Isn't this a delightful Catch-22.
If you forewarn about a developing Fascist movement, you're simply taking away the meaning from the word until it's too late and the Fascists take power.
You cannot call anything Fascist, for there may be something more Fascist that may need the power of the word.
But ah! We couldn't call out their fledgling movement full of dog whistles and double speak so no one was aware enough to stop them as a fledgling movement!
esseph•1h ago
We killed a bunch of Italian fascists and Nazis but never learned to deal with the ideology.
Modern Americans could look at many of Mussolini's policies today and wouldn't bat an eye.
imoverclocked•1h ago
Fascists are continuing to rise right now. Googling “Hallmarks of fascism” gives us an AI overview:
Key hallmarks of fascism include fervent nationalism, authoritarian leadership, the suppression of opposition, and the use of violence to achieve national rejuvenation. …
We blatantly have all of those things from the current administration.
yibg•50m ago
cbeach•45m ago
I grant you, Trump supporters are heavily nationalist. Supporters of Winston Churchill in the UK were also fervently nationalist, when the UK was protecting Europe against actual fascists.
You cannot extrapolate fascism from nationalism.
> authoritarian leadership
An authoritarian regime grows the size of the state to cement its power. Trump is more of a libertarian, demonstrably reducing the scale and power of the state apparatus (DOGE)
> the suppression of opposition
Biden, and Biden-aligned judges weaponised the law against Trump, with spurious cases and fines. They tried to pin anything they could on Trump, in an attempt to prevent him becoming president.
Trump has not done anything similar against Harris, Clinton or Biden.
> the use of violence to achieve national rejuvenation
Nope.
Compare what happened in Democrat cities in the wake of George Floyd's death vs what's happening in Republican areas after Charlie Kirk's assasination. There was riots and looting, and Antifa intimidation of political opponents for Floyd. There are peaceful, respectful vigils for Kirk.
---
> Fascism doesn’t start with concentration camps and gas chambers, it builds up to them.
Trying to extrapolate a "fascist" future version of the current Trump regime is an example of the "Slippery Slope" logical fallacy.
imoverclocked•18m ago
| The OBBBA adds $170 billion for immigration enforcement agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) [1]
> Biden, and Biden-aligned judges weaponised the law against Trump, with spurious cases and fines
Trump has weaponized the DOJ [2]
Trump was convicted of felonies and other crimes; They were not spurious. He claims that he was targeted and a victim but he is also a well-known scam artist. "Accusation in a mirror" [3] fits much of his rhetoric.
> Trump has not done anything similar against Harris, Clinton or Biden
Does "Lock her up!" ring any bells?
Why doesn't Trump's "Hunter Biden" hunt register here?
> Compare what happened in Democrat cities in the wake of George Floyd's death vs what's happening in Republican areas after Charlie Kirk's assasination
It's telling that you say "death" vs "assassination" in the two cases; George Floyd was murdered. The "riots and looting" you speak of are contested as being a separate act unrelated to the original message through peaceful protest. Maybe choose a better example... and maybe one that isn't as recently charged ... and one that isn't being widely compared to Horst Wessel.
> Trying to extrapolate a "fascist" future version of the current Trump regime ...
I'm not; It's already fascist right here, right now.
[1] https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/07/04/secretary-noem-commends-...
[2] https://www.google.com/search?q=trump+weaponized+the+doj
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accusation_in_a_mirror
BizarroLand•44m ago
Safe to say they are not arguing in good faith or are a person expressing their own ideas, and can therefore be ignored.
xnx•1h ago
RobRivera•1h ago
Easier said than done and requires staying on top of literature and sourcing multiple opinions.
Maybe trips abroad to get that alternative opinion for peace of mind?
All spoken from an understanding that the average person cannot afford the time or expense associated with this idea.
MSFT_Edging•1h ago
2: Breech of public trust can never be punished with a slap on the wrist. There cannot be "get out of jail free" sentencing for people of note. That deconstructs any trust anyone can have in the system, if there exists a class who cannot have the law applied to them.
3: A bill of Human rights, designed to encompass attempts to remove rights from certain people. A focus on positive rights, ie "the right to live", rather than negative rights "the right to cause damage to others via an existing right(property rights)".
4: Overturning of citizens united or the ability to punish corporations in an equivalent measure to how an individual can be punished. The fines must always be greater than what can be saved by exploitation via crime.
That's more or less a start. I'm no political scientist but to me these are big points of gridlock.
billy99k•1h ago
The Democrats wouldn't take the Covid vaccine when it first came out and called it the 'Trump vaccine' on CNN...until they came into power. Then they made a 180.
During the Covid era, you most likely lost your job and were censored from all major platforms if you had an opinion about the Covid vaccine that didn't match exactly what the government told us.
What would you think about getting this same treatment for this?
esseph•1h ago
danorama•1h ago
[citation needed]
vkou•51m ago
Please inform yourself. Both approved vaccines were rigorously tested. Unlike other vaccines, multiple phases of those tests were done concurrently, which is why it shipped in 6 months, instead of 3 * 6 months.
> The Democrats wouldn't take the Covid vaccine when it first came out
This begins to cast doubt that you will inform yourself, but from day 1, vaccine uptake was much higher, and continues to be much higher in blue states.
The only person who flip-flopped on vaccines was Trump, because he realized that his base is far too stupid to appreciate what Operation Warp Speed did for them.
reissbaker•1h ago
It's also not even an American company, despite your insinuation: it's British. This isn't some fly-by-night operation created by Trump or whatever.
How well will this pill work? I don't know. There is reasonably good research [1], (carried out during the Biden administration btw!) that a large percentage of autism is linked to folate deficiency due to autoantibodies that wreck your folate pathways, and that d,l-leucoverin bypasses those and restores folate to developing brains.
Complaining that it's "a simple pill" to me feels pretty anti-intellectual. So were antibiotics, so were antivirals, so were many other treatments for horrible diseases that just... are solved now. The fact that it's pill-shaped tells you nothing about the research it took to develop.
1: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34834493/
rdtsc•1h ago
formerly_proven•1h ago
rdtsc•35m ago