Brittany Cartwright is opening up publicly for the first time about her son’s autism diagnosis.

The Bravo star, 36, shared in a People interview that her son, Cruz, who turns 4 on April 12, was diagnosed with autism in the fall. 

She said Cruz, whom she shares with ex Jax Taylor, became mostly nonverbal around his 2nd birthday. Cartwright received her son’s autism diagnosis six months ago from his developmental pediatrician.

“He crawled early, he walked early,” Cartwright said. “He was talking, he was saying, ‘Mommy,’ ‘Daddy.’ He was saying, ‘Hot Dog!’ from ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.’ Then, as he got closer to 2, we started noticing that he was regressing in his speech. He stopped talking almost completely.”

Cartwright said just because Cruz is mostly nonverbal, it does not mean he won’t necessarily always be nonspeaking.

“He does say Mommy. He will sporadically say different words,” she said.

“It can be difficult because I’ve never heard him say, ‘I love you,’” she also said, “but he is so loving, and he shows me he loves me every single day.”

Cartwright said she hired a therapeutic companion who goes to preschool with Cruz and helps him with his social skills. 

“He’s getting better with eye contact, he’s getting more social,” she said. “It’s been a journey. The spectrum is so broad and so different. He’s very loving, doesn’t have tantrums (and is) very sweet, very strong.”

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, is a “neurological and developmental disorder” that impacts how people learn, behave and communicate, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The symptoms of autism usually appear within the first two years after birth.

Cartwright said she wants to challenge the misconception that nonverbal kids aren’t as intelligent, or can’t understand certain things.

“Cruz is very, very, very smart,” she said. “He has almost a photographic memory. He has so much going on.”

Cartwright and Taylor, who are in the process of divorcing, sought answers for what was going on with their son during Season One of Bravo’s “The Valley,” and fans have been speculating online about the toddler, too.

“A lot of people have tried to diagnose my son from social media or sitting on their armchairs and saying, ‘Why is he not talking yet?’ And I felt like it was up to me whenever I was ready to talk about his autism,” Cartwright told People. “Because it’s something I’m learning myself. It’s something brand new we’re going through, and I’m his voice now, and I’m doing everything, I’m fighting for him, I’m his warrior now.”

Cartwright also acknowledged that while “life is going to look a little bit different” for her and Cruz, she feels like she was “meant to be his mom.”

“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,” she said. “We’re just so synced, it’s incredible.”