‘Kate Plus 8’: Kate Gosselin’s Son Collin Reportedly ‘Flourishing’ In ‘Special Needs’ Facility

Kate Plus 8 fans were shocked to see Kate Gosselin’s son Collin absent from his siblings’ 13th birthday celebration in the most recent episode of the TLC reality show, and now how he’s doing is being revealed.

Gosselin has always been reluctant to reveal the details of just where her son is after confirming last year that he had been diagnosed with “special needs” and had been enrolled in a program that required him to live away from his family, though sources are now claiming that the teenager is doing well and “flourishing” at a facility.

“Kate decided to send him to a facility, because she thought it was best for him,” a source told Hollywood Life of Collin’s whereabouts. “Now it seems that Collin is flourishing, and he’s responding very well to one-on-one instruction.”

Though exactly where the sextuplet is and how far away from the Gosselin family the facility he’s currently enrolled in hasn’t been revealed, the insider added that Collin is reportedly now thriving and “definitely finds it easier to function and cope better without all the chaos that his home life entails.”

As for why Gosselin hasn’t been featured on Kate Plus 8 recently, apart from a brief appearance in an episode of the reality show that aired in January, the site’s insider claimed that it’s because Kate has decided that she doesn’t want her son to be on camera as he can easily become overstimulated.

“Kate doesn’t want Collin on camera very much because all the stimulation can be difficult for him,” said the source.

Kate has been fairly conservative when it comes to discussing Collin on the show, but did allude to her son not being there to celebrate turning 13-years-old with his siblings in the most recent episode of the show on July 24.

As footage rolled of her six children gathering around their birthday cakes on the deck of her Pennsylvania home, Gosselin aknowleged her son’s absence in her piece-to-camera and appeared to get emotional as she discussed seeing her kids turn another year older without their brother.

“The photos around the cake, I have them for every year, every child, every birthday. This year [was] much like last year, obviously the difference is that Collin wasn’t there,” she said.

“I am comforted with the fact that my kids, all of them, each unique child, is receiving exactly what they need and that hasn’t changed,” she then continued in the episode, admitting that seeing only five of her sextuplets celebrating and blowing out their birthday candles was a “bittersweet moment” moment for her.

The absence of Collin caused uproar with some viewers watching the episode as they slammed the mom of eight on social media for seemingly leaving the teenager out of the celebrations.

But while it’s not clear if Kate had the option to bring Collin home for the birthday party or if she was advised against having the teenager celebrate with his siblings, Gosselin has previously admitted that he’s getting “precisely what he needs” away from his family members.

Without explicitly revealing what Collin’s “special needs” are or what his treatment entails, Kate told People last year that there is “a fairly fluid diagnosis” of his unique needs but did not go into too much detail.

Kate also explained that she and her kids are all finding comfort by knowing that he is “where he needs to be right now,” but did not explicitly reveal exactly where that is.

“It’s been hard because there is a huge hole in our family without him here,” Gosselin added.

Kate Plus 8 airs on Monday nights on TLC.

[Featured Image by Andy Kropa/Getty Images]