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The diagnosis she received last summer for her son changed
all that. Laurita, married for more than 11 years to her
husband Chris, (who is also the brother of another original
cast member, Caroline Manzo), has three children: 22 year
old Ashlee, 10 year old CJ, and three year old Nicholas. Last
summer, the Laurita’s were informed that their son Nicholas
has autism.
“My son’s diagnosis gave me a purpose, a mission, and
RHONJ gave me the platform to do some good, to raise
awareness and to make a difference. Many people have
reached out to help my son. I am beyond grateful for that.
My husband and I now want to help as many people as
we can. RHONJ gave me a large social media following
and millions of TV viewers which gave me a voice. I am
determined to use it for some good,” Laurita explained.
Though Laurita, a fan favorite on RHONJ, is relatively new
to the world of autism, she has spent much of the last year
educating herself, and those around her, about the realities
and misconceptions about autism. After all, it wasn’t
very long ago when she was the one clamoring for more
information.
“I wanted to be handed a map from A to Z of what I needed
to do to recover my child, but there is no such
map,” Laurita said of hearing the diagnosis.
“The autism spectrum is so wide and each
child needs to be treated individually.”
Although Laurita felt she needed more
information, she had already taken the
formidable step of getting a diagnosis. Though
parents are often the first to notice their
child “showing unusual behaviors,” according
to Autism Speaks, “doctors unfamiliar
with diagnosing autism sometimes dismiss
parent concerns, delaying diagnosis and the
opportunity for early intervention therapies.”
For Laurita, those signs began to surface
when Nicholas was between 18.5 months to
2 years of age. “Nick was not advancing in
his milestones as quickly as his cousin who is
2 weeks younger,” Laurita shared. “He also
seemed to be regressing. It was very gradual.
As a mother, you just know...you sense it.”
The signs were heartbreaking. Nicholas
wouldn’t answer to his name when called.
He couldn’t follow Laurita’s finger as she
pointed to an object. He seemed to tune out
the people and the world around him. Along
with being unable to follow simple commands,
he was regressing. He had a loss of language,
and stopped singing his favorite songs and
using utensils. Beyond that, sometimes his
eyes would go to the side and he would start
spinning in circles. He would go upside down
a lot. His interests were specific and limited.
Instead of being interested in the people
around him, Nicholas would spend a lot of time
lining up his toys and focusing on the credits
from his favorite TV shows.
Though Laurita didn’t know exactly what was
36 | The Boardwalk Journal | April 2013
going on with Nicholas, she did have some experience with
and knowledge of autism. When her older son, CJ, was little,
his shyness prompted his then preschool teacher to suggest
he may be on the spectrum. CJ was tested, and while he
wasn’t diagnosed with autism, Laurita worked with her son
to bring him out of his shyness, initiating daily play dates for
him after school. Though she didn’t know it at the time, she
was already becoming an autism advocate.
Although armed with only scant information about autism,
Laurita began researching the Autism Speaks website to
get to the root of Nicholas’s issues. She began with the
M-CHAT—Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers—a
“scientifically validated tool for screening children between
16 and 30 months of age to assess their risk for autism
spectrum disorder” according to Autism Speaks.
Laurita brought her concerns to her pediatrician, who
referred Laurita to a developmental pediatrician for
testing after Nicholas hardly acknowledged her presence
when she entered the examining room. While waiting for
that appointment, the Laurita’s visited two DAN! (Defeat
Autism Now!) Doctors, one in Irvine, California and one in
Middletown, NJ. (“DAN! Doctors are trained in the ‘DAN!
Protocol’ an approach to autism treatment which starts with
nicholas