Denise Richards Talks About Raising A Special Needs Child

Denise Richards recently revealed that her youngest daughter, 7-year-old Eloise, has a rare chromosomal disorder. Richards has since then publicly shared her struggles with raising a special-needs child, noting that the disorder has caused several issues for her youngest girl.

Eloise is Richards’ third daughter. Richards adopted Eloise domestically back in June 2011, while Richards was still a single mother. Richards also has two other daughters with her former spouse, Charlie Sheen, 14-year-old Sam and 13-year-old Lola. In 2018, Richards walked down the aisle for the second time, and tied the knot with Aaron Phypers.

Richards was quite candid when speaking about the developmental delays Eloise has experienced as a result of her chromosomal disorder. Eloise’s disorder is caused by a deletion in chromosome 8, which creates problems in a few parts of her body. While the deletion in chromosome 8 causes a variety of physical issues, the issues it manifests can be different depending on the person.

“She wasn’t able to sit up on her own for a very long time, and she didn’t start walking until she was 2, and that was with physical therapy,” said Richards, according to Page Six.

The 47-year-old actress has been honest and forthright with her fans about her daughter’s condition. In fact, viewers of her show, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, have been able to witness her daughter’s progress and Richards’ relationship with all of her children on the reality television series.

Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers to Wed This Weekend, Just Days After Engagement News https://t.co/8QgMPodmuO

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Some have wondered why Richards decided to become a part of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and why she would share the struggles of her child and her relationship with Eloise so publicly.

“I just think the timing was right. If I’m gonna do a show like this I would want to be my true authentic self,” Richards said, according to ET Online. “And I’m in a great place to do that.”

While Richards enjoys being a part of the show, she is also happy to share her real, personal struggles with her special-needs daughter on television with the hopes of helping other parents with similar issues.

“She can only say a handful of words and there are times when she feels like her age in understanding, and then other times where it feels she’s emotionally 3 years old,” Richards said, according to ET Online. “It’s been challenging. I’m learning every day because they don’t really have a road map for her particular case.”