Al Roker's son Nick's challenging road to latest milestone achievement

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Al Roker and Deborah Roberts couldn't be more proud as parents right now, as they see their youngest, 19-year-old Nick, graduate high school.MORE: Al Roker's wife Deborah Roberts is left disappointed over missed opportunity with son NickWhile the young man will be off to college soon, leaving his parents empty-nesters, the two were given the opportunity to reflect on their son's challenging journey to get to that point.VIDEO: Al Roker's son receives incredible news and his dad couldn't be more proudAl has spoken openly about the struggles his son has faced given that he is special needs, revealing that he is somewhere on the autism spectrum.The beloved Today weatherman opened up in great detail about being a father to a child with special needs in a cover story for Guideposts Magazine in 2019.MORE: Al Roker shares sweet snap with youngest son as he 'savors' the moments before collegeHe detailed the challenges Nick faced as a child, saying: "He wasn't developing as fast as he should have, not holding our fingers as tightly, not always meeting our gaze, not as quick to crawl.

At three, he hardly talked and could barely walk." Al and Deborah are preparing for their son to head off to collegeAfter a series of tests with doctors to diagnose his son, he and Deborah could affirm that he was somewhere on the spectrum, even working with speech, occupational, and behavioral therapists over the years.He revealed that one of the things that helped his son really progress was learning tae kwon do, writing: "Nick blossomed, far more than Deborah or I could have ever expected, given his original iffy prognosis.MORE: Today stars receive years-in-the-making surprise live on-air"Where his OCD nature can be a drawback in some situations,.