"Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast member Jacqueline Laurita has revealed that her youngest child, son Nicholas, now 3, has been diagnosed with autism.
In an interview with People magazine, Laurita says that Nicholas started exhibiting worrisome behavior at around 18 months. He began regressing with his speech and motor skills, then refusing to answer to his name or notice other people in the room.
"We had no idea what was going on," Laurita said. Amid the uncertainty, the "Housewives" star said she hid her son's medical issues from cameras as she taped the fourth season of the show, which is airing now.
Laurita, who is also mom to Ashlee, 21, and C.J., 10, said that she's concerned about what the future holds for Nicholas.
"I worry about him being independent when he's older. I spend all my time researching what we can do for him," she told the magazine.
"You never want to think that your child isn't perfectly healthy," Laurita's husband Chris told People. "We didn't want to believe it was true."
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