Through the Season 19 premiere of the Bravo sequence, the fact star — who shares Luke, his twin, Keller, and daughter Annabelle together with her husband Shane — revealed that Luke was recognized with avoidant/restrictive meals consumption dysfunction (ARFID).

In keeping with the Cleveland Clinic, ARFID — which is commonest in kids — is a situation “that causes you to restrict the quantity and sort of meals you eat.” In contrast to different consuming issues, it is not brought on by a want to shed weight or a unfavorable physique picture, however quite a lack of curiosity in consuming, a worry or nervousness round meals or consuming, or eager to keep away from sure meals.

Emily, 49, opened up about her son’s analysis in a confessional.

“Luke has all the time been a choosy eater, but it surely’s gotten to the purpose during the last yr the place he simply would not eat in any respect,” she mentioned. “Two months in the past, I took Luke to a therapist. She advised me he positively has ARFID, which stands for avoidance/restrictive meals consumption dysfunction.”

Whereas talking to her husband, Shane, Emily recalled a dialog she had with Luke’s nutritionist.

“The nutritionist was explaining to me, he would not perceive when he feels hungry,” she mentioned. “Meals generally disgusts him. She additionally requested me, ‘Is he very prone to smells?’ and I mentioned, ‘Yeah. Like, we’ll stroll into someone’s home and he’ll be like, ‘It stinks in right here.’ And I am like, ‘You possibly can’t say that.’”

“However now we have to be extra accommodating and lenient in relation to him as a result of he would not course of the concept of consuming like we do,” she continued.

“The issue with him not consuming something is that I do know he will get low vitality,” Emily added. “It impacts his temper, however then he would not make that connection.”

The mother of three turned emotional whereas reflecting on her son’s dysfunction in a confessional.

“I do fear about Luke as a result of I say, ‘Would you like this?’ ‘No. Mother, I am ravenous,’” Emily mentioned. ‘Would you like this?’ ‘No, no!’ What do I do? I do not know what to do. He would not eat something, however he is ravenous.”

“I am nervous that he is not getting the vitamin he wants,” she continued via tears. “I am nervous that he is the bizarre child at college who would not eat, and everyone’s going to make enjoyable of him. I need my little one to be pleased. That is it.”

Emily spoke to her greatest good friend and co-star Gina Kirschenheiter later within the episode, as soon as once more changing into emotional as she shared that she realized Luke can also have autism.

“Luke perhaps has autism. The therapist advised me that the consuming dysfunction is quite common with the autism,” she defined. “He has to go to a specialist and take a look at, intense testing. Mainly, what we study from that’s the place he lies.”

“I felt just like the worst mother as a result of I am like, ‘There’s all these items,’” she mentioned whereas getting choked up. Like, sound bothers him, smells trouble him, textures trouble him. And it is like, ‘Did I simply ignore them?’”

Gina advised her good friend that she will be able to relate to how she’s feeling, noting that she had an identical response and doubts when her daughter, Sienna, was recognized with a sensory processing dysfunction.

“My coronary heart simply breaks for my good friend as a result of I do know that she’s probably the most unbelievable mother,” Gina shared in a confessional. “However I do know she feels responsible, and it’s laborious to look at a good friend wrestle.”

The Actual Housewives of Orange County airs Thursday nights on Bravo.