Joaquin's learning disabilities affect reading and writing.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are incredibly proud of how far their youngest son, Joaquin, has come! Earlier this week, Ripa opened up about the 17-year-old's current quandary -- where he's going to college.
"Joaquin is trying to decide on a college right now and he's got lots of options," Ripa told her Live With Kelly and Ryan co-host, Ryan Seacrest, on the talk show.
The milestone is particularly meaningful because of all Joaquin has had to overcome in the classroom.
"Mark got very emotional and very choked up because he said, 'You know, I never thought he would be able to go to college because he was profoundly dyslexic and dysgraphic,'" Ripa shared.
Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words, according to the Mayo Clinic. And dysgraphia is a learning disability that can cause a child's handwriting to be consistently distorted or unclear, according to WebMD.
Ripa says that "through hard work, determination, and remediation" Joaquin was able to overcome his challenges.
"I always say that dyslexia for our family at least and if you read about it, it can be quite a blessing," she said. "Kids with dyslexia learn how to read the room. They pick up on social cues."
She noted that one of her famous pals, Anderson Cooper, is known to be dyslexic, saying the CNN anchor is "one of these people that knows what's going on before you even walk in the room. He's already got it all figured out. Joaquin is just like that."
The proud mom shared that after working on his condition a lot, "reading is one of Joaquin's favorite things to do."
Ripa and Consuelos are also parents to 23-year-old son Michael and 19-year-old daughter Lola. When Seacrest asked how she was feeling about having her last child leave the nest, Ripa joked, "I'm fine. They keep coming back."
For more from the family, watch the clip below.
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