Harwood Heights Mom Of Autistic Infant Claims Landlord Is Unfairly Evicting Her Family

CHICAGO (CBS)—A mom in suburban Harwood Heights is questioning whether her 2-year-old son's autism has led to her landlord's attempts to evict her family.

Samantha Jacques lives on the 4600 block of North Sayre Avenue with her young daughter and her autistic son Noah, who she says was recently diagnosed as autistic.

Because he expresses his emotions non-verbally, Noah bangs his head or feet on the ground or on walls in order to get his mom's attention.

Noah was diagnosed with his condition after the family moved into the apartment last year.

The noise, Jacques says, has turned her family into a target for her neighbors, who have been lodging complaints against her family with the landlord.

"They've been pounding on my door telling me to knock off the noise and it was all because of my son," Jacques said.

The Harwood Heights Police Department responded to one of the noise complaints Tuesday night, prompting the landlord to ask Jacques and her kids to move out.

Jacques, who said she always pays her rent on time, said she refused to sign the eviction documents.

"Tomorrow is my daughter's first day of school and her words to me were, 'Are we going to be homeless?'" Jacques said. "What am I supposed to say?"

CBS 2's Charlie De Mar was visiting with Jacques Wednesday afternoon when an eviction notice was slid under her door.

A knock on the landlord's upstairs apartment several minutes later went unanswered.

"Everyone thinks having sensory delays or being autistic is a problem (but) there's nothing wrong with it and I feel like our family is being punished for it," she said.