Let down by the Amanda Bagg's Controversy, deserving or not?

I would have to say that first of all I am truly disappointed that there is even such controversy concerning Amanda Baggs as a person on the Autism Spectrum. I found her videos enlightening and brilliant as to show us inside the Autistic mind.
 THEN TO FIND OUT  that Ms. Bagg’s also claimed to have disabilities such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder), Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression over the course of her life caught my attention to say the least, that is not to say that the claims are true.


Ms. Bagg’s has become famous from her claim of having Autism and have been presented by both CNN and CBC. From my searched I have personally found the controversy expanding in the blog community rather than the media. I come to understand through reading one blog and then in the comments section that once Ms. Bagg’s had shown her face on T.V, there were people that knew her previously to talk fluent and to attend social gatherings. Another blog talks about actually going to school with Amanda and claims she is normal. What to believe right?
It bothers me for the reason that it was such an inspiration to us, it also bothers me that we still don't know if it is true or not... who is actually going to sort it out?
I trust that it will be investigated. Also I wonder that there is any truth that Ms. Baggs at one point in her life was diagnosed with Schizophrenia,  then one would question if  these previous diagnoses be the reason she also claims to have other disorders? So many questions??

Schizophrenia: is a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

So if she is Schizophrenic, could it possible that she gained a new perception as to think she is Autistic? I read a comment in one of the blogs that really caught my attention:

"Amanda started going to a special ed program, as a schizophrenic. Six months in, she became a "peer buddy" to an autistic girl. That’s when the whole fascination with autism started. Amanda would comment that the autistic kids were the only kids who didn't make fun of her, which may well be true. So then she started hanging around with them, going to their conferences, "learning" about autism, etc She knew my ex boyfriend (who I later married) had an autistic sister, Sara. She asked me interminable questions about Sara, and Sara's communication devices. And lo and behold, a few years later she's autistic". http://autisminnb.blogspot.com/2009/07/cnn-cbc-and-amanda-baggs-controversy.html



OR…

Do we have an individual who has struggle with the professional’s in order to receive a correct diagnoses and she finally found her place in the Autistic World?


The majority of us don’t have the expertise to give a diagnoses but it would certainly help if this matter was investigated in order to not give false hope to Parents that struggle to know more about Autism .

If you are interest in hearing another opinion and an excellent one with that, I follow a blog called “ Facing Autism in New Brunswick”, subtitled Autism and News, it is written by Harold L Doherty , he is a fascinating writer that gets to the point, I simply could not say enough good about this man and the story of his life that drives him to be a voice. Follow this link:

http://autisminnb.blogspot.com/2009/07/cnn-cbc-and-amanda-baggs-controversy.html

Also I am including an information from the blog titled Presentation and Discussion of the Amanda Baggs Controversy, this will certainly make a person wonder if this controversy is deserving. It does for me.



Introduction

*In 1995, at 15 years old, and for considerable time (it’s believed about 1 year), Amanda Baggs publically claimed (to family, friends, acquaintances, doctors, and one (perhaps more) Internet discussion groups), and publically presented herself, as having Dissociative Identity Disorder, (formerly called ‘Multiple Personality Disorder’).

*From about 1996 through 1998, Amanda publically claimed and publically presented herself as having Schizophrenia.

*In June 1997, Amanda publically apologized for deceiving both herself, and others, with her claim of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

*In about 2000, at about 20 years old, she began publically claiming and publically presenting herself as having low functioning autism (profound non-verbal autism), though having the ability to communicate normally through typed-communication).

*In January 2007, she began publicizing her autism, and her typed-communication ability, through YouTube videos which she filmed and edited. In February 2007, the media company CNN became interested in Amanda due to her YouTube video, and did several written and television segments on her.

*In mid-2007, several former 1994-1995 classmates of hers from Simon’s Rock College stepped forward to CNN and on various Internet websites to express their confusion and shock at how Amanda was presenting herself. Each consistently testified to her being a relatively fully functioning student at 14-15 years old at Simon’s Rock College (which is a highly selective college for gifted pre-college-aged students). Each attests that she was a fluent verbal communicator, attended classes and took part in the class discussions at a normal level, ate in the cafeteria on a many times a day basis, was fully functional physically, had a boyfriend, had many friends and acquaintances, etc. Moreover, each attests to how she was not autistic in any sense, and that she never reported being autistic.

*Later in 1995, shortly before her withdrawal from Simon’s Rock College (SRC), several of her former SRC friends (one of which is now a neuroscientist, and another of which is now a Ph.D candidate in Psychology and has been a mental health professional for many years) attest to how she aggressively used LSD and psilocybin for about three months, and on a near daily basis. The SRC friends attest to how they observed her undergo psychotic behavior during and after this 3 month period, including exclaiming that she was an ‘elf’, digging in the school yard for what she believed to be a listening device implanted in the ground, suicide attempts and self-injurious behavior, aggression toward others, her report of auditory hallucinations and the witnessing of her behaving as if she was listening to and talking with auditory hallucinations, etc.

*Slowly since 2000, and especially after her national media coverage with CNN, she has become considered by many to be an “autism rights activist”.

If you are interested in knowing the rest , follow the link below:

http://abaggs.blogspot.com/