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I read an article in Wired Magazine about autistic activists. I watched this video Amanda is purported to have made on her own and it's pretty amazing.
People are calling it a hoax, that she could not have done this by herself or had help. She says it's all her. I want to believe it. If so, I think the GT community should get behind her. See for yourself:
I've seen a video, too, purportedly by some new crew (though admittedly, I took this at face value and did not check to be sure they were for real; if the "news crew" was in on it, then it could have been faked).
But assuming the news crew was real, how would you even go about faking something like that? You can see her fingers on the keys at the right time.
Are they saying she's not really autistic?
DH and I can't figure out how you'd even go about faking such communication...let alone why! I mean, what's in it for them?
We're thinking Occam's Razor is on the family's side here...
http://hatingautism.blogspot.com/ Amanda Baggs is a total hoax. I've written about a dozen posts about her. She was normal until age 14 when she started taking LSD, wound up in an asylum and went doctor shopping at age 19 to have her diagnosis changed from schizophrenia to autism.
Perhaps it's true, perhaps its not. But from the tone of your blog, you are clearly not some neutral observer. So I'd need some evidence and not just your blog posts.
I have no dog in this fight. I just don't like assertions without evidence.
I'm not saying she's a 'hoax' or not. I'm going to say she's misrepresenting herself as being a 'low functioning autistic'. I think it is a disservice to autistics to have her as some kind of poster child for autistics. I will tell you why. I know people who went to Simon's Rock with her when she was a teenager. She was a functioning, talking gifted student. Somehow along the way, now at 26 she is what she is now. I have never met an autistic who became one in their late teens. She used to speak, so for her to communicate with a device is not so surprising. Sure, she has some kind of problem, but since this is so atypical for the nonverbal autistic types I think it's inappropriate for her to be trotted out in such a fashion with the press doing no research into her background. The people I know with non-verbal autistic children certainly didn't have them attending Simon's Rock at 14. I'm just saying this is unfair to my friends and now people think their non-verbal kids should get computers and just type at 120 wpm.
Kriston, Like I said, there's about a dozen posts throughout that blog. I have documented proof from classmates that she was normal when she entered college at age 13. She was a gifted student, not the least bit autistic.
There is probably 50 pages of discussion about this where numerous people contributed her own words that show she was not autistic until she sought that diagnosis at aage 19. The woman clearly has some mental problems but, autism is not one of them.
Very interesting. Here's a quote from the CNN article:
Quote
Amanda Baggs has severe autism. She didn't cry when she was born. She had to be taught how to nurse. As a little girl, she rocked her head back and forth but could speak. As she grew, she would go longer and longer without speaking, until her spoken language disappeared altogether.
Calizephyr, you are saying that this is completely fabricated? That CNN didn't check any of this?
I'm also having trouble with this "It's on my blog, so it's true" stuff. I looked at the blog. The only thing it proved to me is that the blog is not a neutral source for information.
Anyone can write anything on the Internet. That doesn't make it true.
Where's your evidence? Not just words that cannot be verified. For all I know, you wrote every entry and comment on your blog yourself and it's all fiction. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying that a blog isn't evidence of anything except someone with time on his/her hands.
News sources can make mistakes. But if you're asking me to choose between that highly loaded blog and CNN, CNN wins.
Give me something tangible, not just someone's word.
Cathy, I don't know bettwice33 or that blog. I am involved in the autism community so I am familiar with Amanda Baggs and her blog and her videos and articles. As far as the CNN quote, it makes no sense. Amanda herself won't deny she went to Simon's Rock. She herself won't deny she once spoke as a teenager. (a gifted one!) Again, my whole point is I think people need to know that about her, because I work with autistic people who don't speak or speak a few words. I think she misrepresents the typical autistic. The kids I know can't type 120 wpm and will certainly never go to Simon's Rock. I am not saying anything else, I am saying CNN and WIred are being unfair to represent her as the benchmark for MY kids that I know and love and don't speak and don't type and don't go to Simon's Rock and it does upset me, that she doesn't provide that disclaimer, for some reason. I don't know why. Again, it's like thinking all people with autism are Rainman or something. it is just so far off the mark. Sure, she makes nice videos. But people ask me about it and it bothers me, like my kids here are supposed to do the things she does. Well, they never did speak and go to Simon's Rock! Do you see why I get a little irritated?
