John Travolta: Admits that Jett had autism

John Travolta: Admits that Jett had autism

John Travolta is expected to testify again in the extortion trial this week in the Bahamas.

He is expected back in the Bahamas this week to testify in the extortion case against 2 people accused of trying to blackmail the actor for $25 m following the tragic death of his son - Jett, in January.

In last week's testimony, the actor narrated the way he tried to revive his sixteen-year-old son, Jett, who had fallen after a seizure in a family vacation home on Grand Bahama island.
 
For the fist time, Travolta publicly acknowledged that Jett had autism. News of the testimony sparked an ambivalent reaction from the autism community.

According to reports, in his testimony on September 24, Travolta said that after he and his wife Kelly Preston were awakened by a nanny around 10:15 a.m. Jan. 2, 2009, they  ran downstairs to help Jett. Another caretaker was doing chest compressions and he began administering breathing help, by the time the Travoltas reached there.

Travolta testified that his son Jett was autistic and suffered seizures every five to ten days. He said the seizures would last forty five seconds to a minute and Jett typically slept for twelve hours after each one.

When Travolta was asked about his son's condition, he told the jury: "He was autistic. He suffered from a seizure disorder."

Wendy Fournier, president of the National Autism Association said that "It didn't really come as a surprise for people," as she and many others who work in autism awareness saw signs of the disorder in news footage of Jett.

"The Travoltas are suffering right now from a tragedy that could affect anyone," said Rebecca Estepp, national manager for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA).