'Real Housewives of New Jersey' Star Jacqueline Laurita Talks Treating Autistic Son, Says Other Wives Are Supportive [VIDEO]
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jacqueline Laurita received lots of flack for showing her son, Nicholas' autistic condition on the show last season.
During an interview with In Touch Weekly magazine she said despite the backlash she stands by her decision because she knows it ended up helping lots of people, including herself.
"People that aren't going through [autism] don't understand it. I love having the opportunity to be able to show people because honestly, what's given me strength is listening to everyone else's stories, their struggles, their successes. That's what gives us hope and strength, so if I can do that for someone else, then that feels so good to me."
As far as her former Real Housewives of New Jersey co-stars, they have been supportive of her as well, despite having blowouts in front of the camera. They have helped her find different resources to aid her with treatment.
"They send me links to things that could help him. Like, I do a lot of researching so they come up with a contact. They know this person who has this child so they help me in that way. Pretty much everyone sends me things they learn. They all send me leads and it's nice like that."
She revealed that since leaving the show to spend more time with Nicholas, she and her husband Chris are still trying different therapies to treat their child's condition.
Laurita told the magazine that she has found one thing that keeps him happy--LEGOS. She even uses Pleygo, a service that allows families to rent the block sets for children.
"I know that playing with LEGOS is something that my son, Nick, and I both enjoying doing together that enhances a connection between us."
While she and her husband go through lots of obstacles when it comes treating and "recovering" their son's condition, the experience as a whole has helped them to grow together as a couple.
"We work as a team very well. We both know our roles in Nick's recovery and we established our roles at the beginning of our son's diagnosis. We both have the same goal to recover Nicholas and help as many others as we can."
The other ladies of Real Housewives of New Jersey started taping the sixth season in early December. It's set to premiere early this year.
