'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Jacqueline Laurita reveals 'My son has Autism'

Real Housewives of New Jersey's Jacqueline Laurita and her husband Chris are sharing their difficult news with fans. Their three-year-old son Nichols is autistic.

The Lauritas discussed the news with People, explaining how she tried to keep the reality cameras away from her son while she struggled to find a way to cope with the news. She explains that when Nichols was 18 months, he began regressing; not responding to his own name and his speech and motor skills began to not develop as quickly as expected.

At the time she explains, “We had no idea what was going on.” She adds, “I worry about him being independent when he's older. I spend all my time researching what we can do for him."

Chris adds, “You never want to think that your child isn't perfectly healthy. We didn't want to believe it was true."

The Lauritas continue to try to live their lives as normally as they can despite the news. The reality star recently took a trip with her RHONJ co-stars, renting a 3-story, 5 bedroom house on the bay of in Lavallette, NJ.