Jenni “JWoww” Farley’s son has made major progress since being diagnosed with autism.
In a Tuesday chat with Entertainment Tonight, the 34-year-old Jersey Shore star opened up about how Greyson Valor, 3, is “the best” and has “come so far with all his therapies.”
“It’s like, a four-part diagnosing at the hospital, and at that point I was okay with it,” said Farley. “I just wanted to get to where I am today, where he went from non-verbal, not even knowing his name, to today, where he’s attempting full sentences.”
“He has a personality,” she continued praising her young son. “He’s really just leaps and bounds.”
That’s not to say the process has been an easy one. As Farley recalled of filming Jersey Shore: Family Vacation‘s upcoming third season, “I had to leave the dude ranch to go to one of his diagnosing appointments literally in the middle of the night.”
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Jenni “JWoww” Farley Gives Heartfelt Update on Son Greyson’s Speech Progress on His Third Birthday
The reality star is using her experience with Greyson’s journey to help spread awareness about autism, in an effort to “break the stigma” surrounding the condition.
“That’s my biggest thing that I want to do right now, because there is such a big stigma, but there’s also a big population of kids getting diagnosed,” Farley explained to ET.
“I just want to make the world a little less harsh and more sweet, so when he goes to school there will be less critics and more people that want to help and understand what it’s like to have autism,” she added. “So that’s my goal.”
Farley — who also shares daughter Meilani Alexandra, 5, with estranged husband Roger Mathews — first revealed their son’s autism diagnosis in November, three months after revealing Greyson wasn’t “speaking” yet and was attending “therapy three times a week.”
In March, she spoke about joining the board of KultureCity, a nonprofit dedicated to building inclusion for people with autism. Farley told PEOPLE that the organization has not only changed her son’s life by building a sensory room for him in her house, but has also become a huge part of her own support system.
“When it comes to educating myself so I feel less alone, they help me in that aspect,” she said. “Every time I’m feeling down or alone, I hit up KultureCity and I’m like, ‘What can we do to make someone’s life better?’ “
Farley’s best friend and fellow Jersey Shore star, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, has also been amazing. “She’s one of my biggest supporters and sidekicks,” Farley told PEOPLE.
Jenni “JWoww” Farley’s Estranged Husband Roger Mathews Celebrates Father’s Day with Kids
Farley has given various updates about Greyson’s progress over the months — recently surrounding his third birthday in May, when she told her followers that he has made strides with his developmental speech delay after months of therapy and now knows “countless words.”
“Today you turn 3. This past year flew by so fast. I had you start early intervention 2 days after your second birthday,” she captioned a photo and video slideshow of her son through the years. “You didn’t know your name, you didn’t know how to say mommy.”
“As you turn three, you know countless words, call me mommy 10394 times a day and your smile has grown 10x,” Farley went on. “To my perfect son, happy birthday … I’ll continue to hold you every night until my last breath.”
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation season 3 premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.
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