Emily Simpson asked for grace as she helped her son Luke navigate his learning challenges.
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The Real Housewives of Orange County mom tackled the subject in Season 19, Episode 13, confirming her 10-year-old boy had been diagnosed with dyslexia. The revelation caused Emily to question her parenting, as Luke was also struggling with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“Like, are these things I should have noticed before?” she asked in the October 2 episode. “Were there all these red flags? Did I bring him [to the doctor] too late? He’s highly intelligent in certain areas, but he’s in the fourth grade, and I didn’t know he couldn’t read? I mean, how sad is that?”
Emily Simpson shares more details about Luke’s reading issues
A day after the broadcast, Emily took to Instagram to clarify her comments and to provide an encouraging update on Luke’s learning disability.
“Just to clarify: Luke can read, he’s just not reading at his grade level and he’s struggling with word comprehension etc,” she captioned a Reel, which showed Luke working on his own comic book. “He was also recently diagnosed as dyslexic. I was not aware that he was struggling and behind.”
RELATED: Emily Simpson Makes an Emotional Confession About Her Son Luke: “How Sad Is That?”
Emily said Luke is now at a new school and is “loving it.”
“Please be kind,” she continued. “Just remember l am learning and dealing with all of these issues in real time while filming!”
Emily Simpson expresses concern over her and Shane’s parenting disagreements
As seen throughout Season 19, Luke’s health struggles caused friction between Emily and her husband, Shane Simpson, as they disagreed on the best way to handle their child’s issues.
“I think my approach is a little bit more try to make it like it’s normal for Luke and it’s nothing that stands out or makes him lesser than or feel inferior,” Shane said in a confessional. “But Emily just wants to flip a switch and fix it. And I know it doesn’t work that way.”
Emily Simpson reveals how Shane has changed his parenting style
Emily — who is also a mom to Luke’s twin brother, Keller, and a 12-year-old daughter, Annabelle — said she felt unsupported by Shane during the family hardship — so much so that she feared they would “end up divorced.” However, the OC mom shared a positive update in Episode 13, saying Shane had “completely changed his parenting style.”
RELATED: Emily Simpson Opens Up About Working with Shane on Their Legal Podcast (EXCLUSIVE)
“You being so much more engaged with him and being more affectionate — just more warm with him — has made a big difference,” she told her hubby of 16 years.
Shane said his parenting shift was “not physical, as much as it was validating and praising [Luke] and making him feel good.”
Find out why Emily decided to publicly share Luke’s struggles despite her initial reservations.
