REALITY TVBrittany Cartwright Reveals Son Is Autistic and Non-Verbal: 'I've Never Heard Him Say I Love You'
Brittany Cartwright revealed her son is autistic and non-verbal in a new interview.
Brittany Cartwright revealed her son, Cruz Cauchi, whom she shares with estranged husband Jax Taylor, was diagnosed with autism six months ago.
Brittany Cartwright said she's never heard her son say 'I love you' to her.
"He crawled early, he walked early," Cartwright told People. "He was talking, he was saying, 'Mommy,' 'Daddy.' He was saying 'Hot Dog!' from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Then, as he got closer to two, we started noticing that he was regressing in his speech. He stopped talking almost completely."
When he stopped being verbal, Cartwright and Taylor put their son into speech therapy. Now that he is almost turning 4 years old, Cartwright shared he is autistic and mostly non-verbal, although he will “sporadically say different words” such as “Mommy.”
"It can be difficult because I've never heard him say, 'I love you,' but he is so loving, and he shows me he loves me every single day," the Vanderpump Rules alum stated. "He is such a mommy's boy."
Brittany Cartwright said she was 'meant to be' Cruz Cauchi's mom.
Cartwright stated she received her son’s diagnosis prior to wrapping taping for the second season of The Valley and, while she expected what the diagnosis, hearing it from a doctor made it more “real.”
"Our life is going to look a little bit different, but I feel like I was meant to be his mom," she said. "He is my better half. He is my little partner in crime. He is everything to me, and even though he can't talk, I know everything that he wants, everything that he needs. We're just so synced, it's incredible."
Before talking with People, Cartwright only told her closest friends and family about her son’s condition. "I wrote this paragraph out and talked about his diagnosis, what it meant, what we're working on and how I felt like I was meant for this," she noted.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Brittany Cartwright noted Cruz's autism has been 'challenging at times.'
"Yes, it might be challenging at times, but I couldn't imagine my life being different," she elaborated. "It can be sad at times because you want them to live life to the fullest, and he does, he just does it in a different way. What I really want people to understand about autism is he sees the world so much more vibrant and amazing than any of us ever will. It doesn't mean that he's not going to be the smartest in his class. It doesn't mean he is not going to work for NASA one day. There aren't any limitations to what he can do."
The reality starlet stated she’s focused on “early intervention” currently as “this is the time he’s building his brain.”
“I’m just trying to do everything I possibly can to help him live the happiest life ever,” she added. “I feel very blessed that I'm able to give him everything that he needs, and that's why I want to help as many mothers as I can. I have learned so much over the past couple years."
Brittany Cartwright said she's 'so proud' of Cruz.
Aside from supporting him emotionally, Cartwright shared she has a sensory room in her home, and she's put her son in speech and occupational therapy, which he “never misses.”
“If I have to work, I have the most amazing nanny in the entire world, she is literally my family,” she noted. “I don't know what I would do without her. Sometimes Jax will take him. I want him to learn things as well, but the majority of the time, it's me. And I feel like I need to be there, I need to be learning what's going on, so that I can really work with him at home as well."
“I’m just so proud of everything about Cruz," Cartwright concluded. "He is just the love of my life. He's learning and growing every single day. With everything I have going on, I always try to stay positive. It can be hard sometimes — I have my ups and downs — but I just feel like I can be proud of myself that I'm staying strong for my son."
