Brittany Cartwright revealed that her son, Cruz Cauchi, has been diagnosed with autism. “The Valley” star shared her son’s diagnosis in an April 9 interview with People magazine just three days before his fourth birthday.
Cartwright told the outlet that she learned of Cruz’s diagnosis six months ago and wasn’t surprised by the confirmation because he has been mostly non-verbal since age two. “He was talking, he was saying, ‘Mommy,’ ‘Daddy.’ … Then, as he got closer to 2, we started noticing that he was regressing in his speech. He stopped talking almost completely,” she said. “It can be difficult because I’ve never heard him say, ‘I love you.’”
In addition to going to speech and occupational therapy, Cruz is accompanied by a therapeutic aide when he attends preschool, Cartwright shared.
Cruz is the only child of Cartwright and her estranged ex-husband, Jax Taylor.
Brittany Cartwright Previously Shared Her Concerns About Cruz’s Developmental Delays
Cartwright has been open with fans about her son not hitting verbal milestones. In a November 2023 episode of her “When Reality Hits” podcast, Cartwright admitted that she was having a difficult time with her son’s delays.
“Dealing with the speech therapy has been the toughest because I really want him to be able to talk to me and tell me what he wants and his feelings,” she said at the time. “We are just not there yet, and I can’t wait until the day he looks at me and says, ‘I love you.’ Oh, my God, I’m going to cry.”
In the first season of “The Valley,” viewers saw Cruz working with his speech therapist Miss Dory. “I just want to make sure that we’re giving him all the right tools and everything that he needs,” Cartwright said in one episode, per BravoTV.com.
After sharing Cruz’s official diagnosis, Cartwright received supportive messages from fans and friends in the comment section of a video of her interview.
“I’m so proud of you ♥️,” wrote her “Valley” co-star Michelle Sanei.
“Love you and Cruz so much, so proud of you for sharing ❤️,” added Janet Caperna.
“I’m so proud of you for sharing this and being a voice for these special children 💙 Cruz is the absolute sweetest and he’s the luckiest to have the greatest mama,” wrote Cartwright’s publicist, Lori Krebs.
Brittany Cartwright Has Been Inspired By the Show ‘Love on the Spectrum’
In the People interview, Cartwright expressed hope for a bright future for her son and noted, “There aren’t any limitations to what he can do.”
She also said she draws inspiration for her son’s future from the stories seen on the show “Love on the Spectrum.” The Netflix reality show follows people who are on the autism spectrum and are looking for love. “It is the sweetest show,” Cartwright said. “They’re so positive, the way they look at life is just so full of joy and happiness, and if Cruz is anything like that, I will be so happy. I hope he falls in love one day.”
The third season of “Love on the Spectrum” dropped on April 2.
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Brittany Cartwright Confirms Son Cruz’s Medical Diagnosis & Reveals What Gives Her Hope