My child is also autistic. Severely. When I was trying to come to terms with it I spent hours every single day talking with other parents of autistic children on Reddit as well as autistic adults. I was looking for anything that might mean my child could one day have a normal life.
Interestingly I came across posts from other parents about after their children spike a fever / get really sick - there is a brief moment when they are almost normal. I noticed this too when my son emerged from his bedroom and very loudly and very clearly asked ”daddy, where are you?”
My son was completely non verbal and had never said mama or dada.
Every so often he gets sick and I notice these glimpses where he is normal.
I’ve listened to other parents talking about the vaccine & autism association. Some parents think that they do cause autism in some children with a genetic predisposition and that the inflammation due to the vaccine can flick the switch for autism symptoms.
To be clear my child is 100% vaccinated. I’ve even paid for vaccines not covered by my government because I absolutely believe in vaccines.
But I’m not so quick to dismiss anecdotal reports from parents regarding vaccines or illnesses and how they influence autism symptoms. This is because I’ve seen this with my own eyes.
I do share your frustrations in getting help for your son. I couldn’t even get my child’s primary care doctor to prescribe melatonin - even with all of the medical reports detailing his autism diagnosis.
As a consequence I’ve been reading all of the medical trials regarding autism (as my child’s GP didn’t even know that many autistic people can’t produce the hormone melatonin). Some studies are more promising than others.
Interestingly illness and inflammation can impact folate levels by reducing folate absorption, increasing the body's demand for folate, and possibly altering the expression of folate transporters. In chronic inflammatory conditions, serum folate levels often decrease due to these factors, while increased folate intake might help to mitigate inflammatory effects.
There has been research into the link between autism and cerebral folate deficiency, or a shortage of vitamin B9 in the brain.
The condition is commonly caused by folate receptor alpha (FR⍺) autoantibodies, which block folate from reaching the brain.
One study found that more than 75% of children with autism carry these antibodies, compared to just 10 to 15% of children without the disorder.
I’m wondering if your son has the folate receptor alpha (FR⍺) autoantibodies which is blocking folate from reaching the brain and the inflammation as a consequence of the vaccine has exacerbated your son’s symptoms?
Here’s an article about a possible treatment:
https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/health/our-autistic-son-was-talking-again-after-taking-leucovorin/
I’m considering getting my child tested for the antibodies. However, I had already been treating him with methyl B12 (taken sublingual as many autistic people can’t absorb B12 through their guts).
Methyl B12 (Vitamin B12) deficiency can lead to a "folate trap," where folate gets trapped as an inactive form (5-methyltetrahydrofolate or 5-MTHF), causing a functional folate deficiency, even if total folate levels are normal. This occurs because B12 is a required cofactor for methionine synthase, the enzyme that converts 5-MTHF back into its active, usable form. Without enough active B12, the methylation cycle is disrupted, leading to reduced folate availability for DNA synthesis and cell formation.
My severely autistic (Level 3), non-verbal child with global developmental delay who had zero functional or receptive language can now talk, interact with his peers and plays team sports. A paediatrician also told me that my son doesn’t appear autistic. This was a child who would line up cars, flap like a demented bird, walk on tippy toes and violently rock his body back and forth and self harm.
Anyway, I’m open to discuss.
I think it’s terrible that children are diagnosed with autism without being given brain scans to detect inflammation (or to rule out any seizure conditions) or a blood test to check for folate antibodies.