Former reality TV star Kate Gosselin opened up about sending one of her sons away to a live-in program to help him “reach his full potential”.
The former Jon & Kate Plus 8 star is a single mom to 15-year-old twin girls, Cara and Madelyn, and 12-year-old sextuplets, sons Aaden, Collin, and Joel, and daughters Leah, Alexis, and Hannah.
Gosselin, 41, told People magazine she sent Collin away because he has “special needs”.
[There’s] a fairly fluid diagnosis of what those needs are, but he needs to learn certain strategies to help him deal with things,” she said. “This has been a struggle we’ve had for a very long time, and it’s one I’ve dealt with on my own. I’ve felt very alone in this. By the same token, it’s not something that has only impacted me or him – our entire family has been impacted.”
The sextuplets were born 10 weeks premature, and 2 of the children — Collin and Alexis — began exhibiting behavioral problems in 2010 when they were 6.
The two children were home schooled after they proved to be too disruptive in class.
Gosselin, who divorced the children’s father in 2009, told People magazine Collin is currently “enrolled in a program that is helping him learn the skills he needs to be the best him he can be”.
She added: “We miss him so much, so it’s been hard because there is a huge hole in our family without him here. But it comforts us to know he’s where he needs to be right now, and I can feel good about that.”
Kate and Jon Gosselin were criticized for exploiting their large brood for fame and profit.
The pressure led Jon to cheat on his wife, and Kate grew increasingly difficult to work with on the set.
The show was cancelled in late 2009 after the title was changed from Jon & Kate Plus 8 to Kate Plus 8.
