End the Wait Now

Stories & Pictures

Noah

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Mountain Notter relocated to Maryland several years ago when her husband Ronnie was deployed to Afghanistan. Both of their children have autism, and they have no family living in state to help out.

Eleven-year-old Jasmine has lots of potential, if she can get the needed intervention, while nine-year-old Noah is profoundly autistic. Sweet-faced and with an impish cowlick, he enjoys jumping and taking walks outdoors with his mother. But on a bad day, he punches holes in the walls with his head, and eats drywall. He barely sleeps, needing round-the-clock care and supervision.

DDA support would mean behavior intervention and care giving assistance in the home, but the long waiting list due to underfunding makes this help inaccessible. Desperate and faced with only one option, Mountain had Noah placed in a group home.

It's been a year now since Noah moved from home, and Mountain says it still feels wrong. She must drive three hours to see Noah. She's not at peace with her young son so far away. "When your young child is where you can't protect them, you feel uneasy, guilty, and heart-sick," she says. "I wish we could have found a better solution."

Noah's sister Jasmine is still waiting on the list for intervention that could help her.
END THE WAIT NOW!

Developmental Disabilities Coalition
Dedicated to the rights and quality of life of people with developmental disabilities in Maryland