Things have definitely changed for Jenni "JWOWW" Farley since her 'Jersey Shore' days. While she's still friends with her BFF from the series, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, the two are hanging out on playdates with their kids these days rather than partying it up at the shore.
But although life has been pretty rosy for Jenni in recent years, her family ran into a roadblock of sorts when her son Greyson Valor Mathews seemed to be struggling with his speech. Jenni and her then-husband (and Greyson's father) Roger Mathews set right to helping their son, and Jenni has been transparent about their journey.
Who is her son Greyson Valor Mathews, and what has she shared about his journey with autism?
How Many Kids Does JWOWW Have?
Greyson Valor Mathews is Jenni Farley's second child; her older child is daughter Meilani Alexandra Mathews. While Meilani is adorably BFFs with Snooki's daughter Giovanna. But in between the two girls (and Snooki's older son Lorenzo and younger tot Angelo) is JWOWW's son.
Greyson Valor Mathews was born in May 2016, and although his parents split in 2018, they put up a united front when it came to dealing with unexpected developmental challenges with their son.
Does Greyson Valor Mathews Have Autism?
In 2018, when Greyson Valor Mathews was about two, Jenni previously explained, she and her then-husband noticed that their son was lacking in speech development. He didn't speak, didn't answer to his name, and had difficulties with other developmental milestones.
For example, Jenni stated that Greyson had absolutely no language skills at the time and that she had learned sign language to make it easier for Greyson to communicate.
And in short order, Jenni and Roger sought support for their son and then received a diagnosis of autism.
Jenni Farley Chose ABA Therapy For Greyson
In an update she shared nearly a year after Greyson's autism diagnosis, Jenni explained that he had made significant progress in all developmental areas. She noted that a year earlier, Greyson was not "able to sit for literally 30 seconds," but that by the time he turned three, he could count, say the ABCs, and more.
Farley attributed Greyson's progress to a team of therapists that provides applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy. In fact, she noted that he started out with two to three hours a few times a week, but also received speech and occupational therapy in a local hospital.
But then, Jenni elaborated, he began receiving 30 hours of ABA therapy per week, including a few hours while he was in preschool for additional support. Although the increase in support required Jenni to fight with her insurance company to get Greyson the services he needed, Jenni pointed out, they quickly got on a path toward progress.
How Is Greyson Valor Mathews Doing Now?
Jenni shared Greyson's biggest update in 2019, at which point he had developed his speech skills pretty impressively. Jenni didn't share specifics on what his current therapy involved, or what the family's plans were for his continued support at home.
But in mid-2021, Jenni shared another update via YouTube; at that point, Greyson was five years old. Her video largely promoted a playground set Jenni recently got set up at her house, but she also gave an update on Greyson's progress.
JWOWW noted that Greyson still had some behaviors they wanted to work on, like "repetitive traits" and "OCD," but that he was on par with his peers. His speech had increased a lot, too, as evidenced by Farley's video recap of him with his therapist, though Greyson's mom didn't specify just how much therapy he was receiving at the time.
Fans were thrilled to see Greyson's progress over time, although one thing that Jenni didn't specifically say is that his progress can't exactly be compared to any other child's.
While Greyson might be on par with his peers now, there was a lot of hard work that went into addressing his developmental challenges, and unfortunately, not all other kids with a similar diagnosis will make similar progress.
But for Jenni and her son, it seems that ABA therapy was a good fit, even if it's not the ideal solution for everyone, and it helped Greyson develop his speech and other skills. Her updates are fewer and farther between these days, but that's likely because Jenni's son is thriving. She often shares his artwork with her followers, and tidbits on how her two kids love each other, even though they have plenty of sibling spats these days.
