Jax Taylor Promises to Be Son Cruz's 'Biggest Supporter' Amid Autism Diagnosis

Not long after Taylor's estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright told PEOPLE about their son Cruz's autism diagnosis, The Valley star took to social media to share a heartfelt tribute to the little one.

"My precious beautiful boy," Jax captioned a carousel of photos of himself and the three-year-old playing outside.

"I'm so proud to be your father and even though we may face challenges along the way I'll always be your biggest supporter and cheerleader and make sure that you and other families on similar journeys affected by autism know that the sky is the limit even though life may look a little different 💙," he concluded.

In an interview with the outlet, Cartwright shared how things started off as any parent might expect with Cruz. "He crawled early, he walked early. He was talking, he was saying, 'Mommy,' 'Daddy.' He was saying 'Hot Dog!' from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,'" she shared.

But all of that started to change when he approached two years old, with Cartwright saying that she and Taylor noticed that "he was regressing in his speech" before "he stopped talking almost completely."

While Cruz, who turns 4 on April 12, was quickly put in speech and occupational therapy by his concerned parents, Cartwright said that he remains mostly nonverbal, though he will "sporadically say different words."

One thing he has not said, according to the reality star, is "I love you."

"It can be difficult because I've never heard him say, 'I love you,'" she told PEOPLE. "but he is so loving, and he shows me he loves me every single day. He is such a mommy's boy."

"It can be sad at times because you want them to live life to the fullest, and he does, he just does it in a different way. What I really want people to understand about autism is he sees the world so much more vibrant and amazing than any of us ever will," she added. "It doesn't mean that he's not going to be the smartest in his class. It doesn't mean he is not going to work for NASA one day. There aren't any limitations to what he can do."

Cartwright said that by the time they got the diagnosis, which came in the fall shortly before wrapping the second season of The Valley, they were kind of "expecting" it -- but it still made things more "real."

It's also helping her to gain a better understanding of how she sees things moving forward. "Our life is going to look a little bit different, but I feel like I was meant to be his mom," she told the outlet, calling Cruz "my better half" and "my little partner in crime."

The Vanderpump Rules alum shared that she's put a sensory room in her home for Cruz, as well as a swing set and pool in the yard. He still receives speech and occupational therapy multiple times each week, and he has a therapeutic companion who goes with him to preschool to help him with social skills.

Calling her strategy on his behalf "early intervention," Cartwright said, "I just make sure that he never misses a class, never misses a therapy session." She praised her nanny for her help in keeping Cruz to that schedule, and Jax for stepping in sometimes, too.

"I want him to learn things as well, but the majority of the time, it's me," Cartwright said of her ex. "And I feel like I need to be there, I need to be learning what's going on, so that I can really work with him at home as well."

"I feel very blessed that I'm able to give him everything that he needs," added Cartwright, who is hoping to use her platform to help other parents of children with autism.