Saturday, August 22, 2009

Reporting Fraud, Amanda Baggs

Below is an email I sent to Susan Besio, PhD who is the Director, Office of Vermont Health Access and Health Care Reform. If Dr Besio receives emails from a lot of other people who do not like Amanda Baggs masquerading as an autistic person and misrepresenting the horror that autistic children face, perhaps she will take measures to end Baggs' abuse of our children.

From: "bettwice33@juno.com" <bettwice33@juno.com>
To: soa@state.vt.us

Subject: Fraud
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:32:04 GMT
Hi,

I'm writing to report a case of fraud. The woman involved may be receiving services from the state illegally. Here is 40 page report detailing the fraud of Amanda Baggs in obtaining a bogus diagnosis of autism. http://www.amandabaggscontroversy.blogspot.com/

You will see that Baggs was a normal teenager who could speak, was not incontinent, did not flap her arms in a stim and was not diagnosed with any abnormal condition until after she became involved with LSD and wound up in a mental institution after threatening suicide at age 15. At that time, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia, had delusons in which she thought she was an elf, was later diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder and, at age 20 decided she would gain an autism diagnosis upon which she began pretending that she could no longer speak.

She has since become somewhat famous through appearances on CNN for her bogus portrayal of being a person with autism who can communicate with a machine that translates her typing into speech. She is part of a cult that is funded by the Pharmaceutical industry that proclaims that people with low functioning autism do not want to be cured. I have a non-verbal 12 year old son with autism who would very much disagree with this phoney opinion. Baggs is usurping the rights of my son and all true autistic people who would love to be cured of their disorder by faking autism, making herself famous and putting untrue words in their mouths by purporting to be the voice of what all autistic people who can not speak would like to say.

I don't begrudge this woman any services that she may be entitled to by damaging her brain with LSD or being truly affected with schizophrenia or some other diminished capacity. To collect money or services from the taxpayers under the bogus diagnosis of autism is, I believe, fraud and I hope you will investigate this blatant abuse of the system.

Here is a description of the overall fraud that Baggs is involved with. http://hatingautism.blogspot.com/2009/06/debunking-neurodiversity-and-ari-neeman.html This in irrelevant as far as her receiving services illegally but serves as an explanation for her motivation to commit this crime. I have attached a picture of her when she was 15 years old. You can see that is a far cry from the image of herself that she presents now. Since one standard for diagnosing autism is that it must be done by age 3, you can see that Bagggs missed this age cutoff by 17 years and would be the only person in history to have been diagnosed at such an advanced age where these bizarre behaviors typical of autism were never noticed by anyone until that time. I understand that the regulations prohibit you from discussing the case. Since Baggs has thoroughly misrepresented autism publicly on CNN and elsewhere, I request that you let me know if you determine that she is faking autism so I can ask CNN to correct the damage they have done to the public's understanding of autism.

Thank you,
John Best
113 Old Derry Rd
Londonderry, NH 03053
(603)434-3928

Feel free to release my name to anyone who asks regarding this report. If Baggs wants to know who filed a complaint, I would like to receive the credit.

18 comments:

John Best said...

Roger,
I've seen a number of cases where bad diagnoses were given but, there was no doubt that these people always had problems. Baggs is such a sham any way you look at it that I don't see how anyone takes her seriously.

Stephanie said...

I just wish this autism fraud would end. This is really getting tiring. Everyone is so paranoid now that they now call real autistics frauds, assuming they know more than their own doctors, their family and their own life even though they only known them through the internet.

John Best said...

Stephanie,
I read some of the stuff on your blog where you were being accused of being a fraud and I don't know what to think. It's hard to say whether someone is legitimate or not when you've never seen their face or talked to their parents to learn what they were like as toddlers.

The best thing you can do concerning Baggs is to write to the people I've mentioned who are in positions to shut her up. Encourage everyone you know to write to Susan Besio and the people at MIT to let them know that frauds like Baggs have to be silenced.

Stephanie said...

I'm not concerned about anyone calling me a fraud. As if they know more than my doctors, the medical university and institute that diagnosed me, my family and myself from reading a few blog posts and comments. Please. I definitely understand why they're paranoid though so I can't blame them.

Droopy said...

Stephanie Lynn Keil said...

"I just wish this autism fraud would end. This is really getting tiring. Everyone is so paranoid now that they now call real autistics frauds, assuming they know more than their own doctors, their family and their own life even though they only known them through the internet."

Oh, "Stephanie" you mean like when somebody else made a completely independent decision to call you out on your blog for your actually being rather obviously "the anti-ND Amanda Baggs" -- and you, in your 'brilliant' response were foolhardy enough to randomly take a swipe at me trying to call me a fraud?

Smooth move, ex-lax.

anon number one said...

I wonder if those people on the controversy blog who knew her before when she was "normal" could write letters to the same people you did. Maybe if enough people from her former life spoke up it would be enough to get her outed.

Droopy said...

I've got an even better solution
Sign up and get your cherry little feigning ass up to that same conference in NH.

Hmm? whats the matter? won't be seeing you there?

Or will you just 'elect not to' saying its 'for privacy's sake,' (the very way that I've opted to reveal just about everything about me save for my lastname and posting documents online) copping even this off of me as you go but when YOU say it it really is nothing more than a cop out.

(How come we don't get to see you 'Stephanie"? (If that's even your real name)?
No photos, no videos?
How come we don't get to know what institutions you've been in, you never name 'them'), or even what city you've in?

I've revealed all of these (and more) at one time or another and in fact there are even people on both 'sides' who actually have seen some of my documentation)

But what about you, "Stephanie"?


I dare you (and you may consider this the first of many dares/bluff-calling if you insist on attempting to screw with me just because I am really autistic and you're not) and yes, "Stephanie" its MY family and backgorund, MY life etc etc that is undeniable stands up to ANYTHING you and your Bullshit camp have to offer.

C'mon up to New Hamphire to this "AutCom"

C'mon and you too can meet the "Amazing Amanda Baggs" AND the not-so-amazing-but-at-least-I'm-real Autistic ME like wise I'll meet you and a few others (because there's a few people I've got in mind to meet while I'm there), -- and hell I'll even come packing papers that show I am real -- but you'd damned better be prepared to do the same.

I understand there's still time to register for it, etc etc

Do you think you can fake an entire room of people, including someone who knows full well you're full of shit? Amanda seems to think she can. What about you?

Show me your 'Autism" -- and I'll show you mine

C'mon "Steph" show me what you're really made of

You've talked a pretty tough game in places (yeah, sounding quite a bit like me when you do, was that just more parroting?)


but I'm for real and I'm calling your bluff.


Otherwise, (because nobody needs an "Anti ND Amanda") you can just crawl right back to your own personal profiteering off of "Autism" (in your case with your "Artwork") just like the rest of the con-artists with their various antics (including "Autism" book deals and fame and general mental-illness stigma-dodging-antics.


I had gone out of my way to sidestep confronting you about this, had planned to at very least wait until after the conference, but you not only started this foolishness with me out of nowher eon your blogsite and at my simply posting a Beatles song with my name (as much of it as you need worry about) as about as nice a non-confrontatoinal response as I could muster to you and your game, (and following me around Jonathan's blog butkissing me, Kent was right about that) but then tonight 'reached out' to me with a message on YouTube...


"Why can't we all get along" my ass.

You brought this on, "Steph"
you actually initated this little 'war' with me all on your own,

so put up or shut up.

John Best said...

Does anyone here know Sharisa Kochmeister? Is she running the show at Autcom? What are the odds of her letting me speak at that conference? I could bring Sam onstage with me and maybe we could start to clarify the differences between Asperger's and autism for the benefit of everyone on the spectrum without the ND propaganda getting in the way.

Stephanie said...

Droopy,

I sent you a response on YouTube.

John Best said...

Stephanie,
Will you give us the link?

Stephanie said...

?

It is a private youtube message, not a video. It contains my address and other personal stuff that I don't really want to be known in blog land.

Droopy said...

'Stephanie's cop out response, exactly as she provided it to me save for her address being omitted (Does it remind you of anyone? Rather speaks for itself, don't you think?)

"First, how am I supposed to get to NH? I don't have any money.

Second, I don't want to.

Third, I have things to do in my life, as in school, etc.

So no, you won't be seeing me there because I don't care and have a life beyond this crap.

Droopy, you and Kent accused me first so I got angry. And I am calling your bluff, am I not?

I live in Summerville, South Carolina, about 30 minutes from Charleston, SC.

My address is

[address omitted]

Stephanie Lynn Keil is my real name.

The first institution I was in was http://www.psysolutions.com/facilities/peedee/index.html

It caters to people with developmental disabilities, psychiatric disorders, emotionally disturbed, etc. It is located in Florence, SC. The address is listed on the website and if you look it up on google maps it will match the photos on my post "Photos of 1st Institution I Lived In."

I don't have a video camera so how can I make videos? My digital camera is broken and I am waiting to buy a new one. And I really don't feel comfortable posting pictures of myself on the internet, but I will if you really want me to. After I get a camera.

I see my psychiatrist soon so I'll see if I can get some sort of written confirmation from him. And also try to go to other places to find my medical records.

I can give the names of the doctors that know me.
"

Droopy said...

Excuse me for having to be Captain Obvious here but just for "Stephanie" s sake here -- yes, Stephanie, frauds typically do have real names and street addresses, and yes some post images of psychiatric hospitals they claim to have been in (though usually they don't admit to having to google to find them first the way you did) and frauds can create very manufactored 'histories' with these claimed places and doctors and hope to bank off things like HIPAA laws to protect them from discovery (see: Amanda Baggs).


"Kent and I" did no such thing.
Kent did something completely independent of me and entirely on his own, something which I had no involvement or knowledge of therefor certainly didn't sanction or participate,

however it was YOU who decided to drag ME into your having been called out, you who chose in a typical diversionary tactic attempt to hide from what you are adn what you do in an attempt to wildly and blindly go after me

to pull me into what sure looks like an extremely starved ploy for attention, (very characteristic of attention starved malingers like you). You just want somebody to care enough to even bother to notice you enough and feel you important enough to take the time to even call you out, do you?


Stephanie, from your YT favorites you gives the impression that you are similar to these people...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYA6OjG_E4k&feature=channel_page

(Note the "severe autism" comment "Stephanie" made directly under this one....)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swD6czPyVW4&feature=channel_page


And yet here's a post which appears to have been written by your best friend, Stephanie! with what appears to be a photo of the two of you together...

http://kelsryanne.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/stay-younge/

(If this is you "SLK," remember you said that you had never had a friend?)

Droopy said...

More from Stephanie, again unedited and as delivered -- save for the fact that this time I am adding bolding in two places:

"It's not a psychiatric hospital, it is a state run institution for people with psychiatric disorders, developmental delays, severe emotional disturbance, etc. It says so right on the website.

I do receive SSI. I live with my father so I get about $440. I have student loans to pay back and food to buy and rent to pay, so no, I really can't afford to go.

I am on SSI for autism. I'm not exactly sure how to get access to my SSI records, though.

I don't want to go. Why do I have to? You can send me a postcard from NH while you're there. You have my real name and address.

Well, Droopy, I apologize for calling you are fraud but you are calling me one now.

I can give you the names of doctors that know me but you are not interested.

You are not interested in me providing the truth which I find quite strange. I am giving you evidence, providing you with ample opportunity to "prove" that I am real (e.g. doctors that know me) and you are not interested.

"Videos" don't prove anything to me. Amanda Baggs makes videos and they aren't real.

You just refuse to believe that I am telling the truth.

And that's your problem, not mine.



My response to all of this

a. (boldtext response one) I've been to college, 'member?
There's people out here who know exactly which university... and disabled people don't get 'student loans' we get stuff like Pell Grants and Voc Rehab etc to help us out... you blew it again girly girl


b (boldtest response 2)
Well I'm glad you've finally decided to apologize for calling me a fraud.

as to Am I calling you a fraud now?
You betcha I am.

I told you, I went out of my way to avoid this, I went out of my way to avoid you and having to call you out. You put me in a very awkward position, very much like Amanda has done her Neurodiversitee friends, threatening to dash the credibility of anyone who OPPOSES Baggs and her Neurodiversitee and I didn't appreciate it, not one bit, but I didn't want to deal with it I admit and so you were getting a very undue free pass on this, so help me God I was avoiding this -- and you -- until you kept poking and poking at me (sorta like poking at a sleeping bear), asking for it.

anyway, its a little late for it now but apology accepted
Apology accepted. I already knew just how sorry you really are.

As for calling you out as a fraud, well as the saying goes 'cats outta the bag now' and you really shoulda thought of that before stepping into me.

Stephanie said...

You took my statement that "severe autistics enjoy being institutions" out of context. I explained it more on my blog. Read it if you want.

I just told you one of the ones I stayed in and you don't believe me.

My cousin is profoundly autistic, more severe than you.

I mean "severely autistic" as in Autistic Disorder. I have HFA, not LFA. It's just that when most people say "autism" they seem to be referring to Asperger's or PDD-NOS so I used "severe autism" to differentiate from these disorders and to imply Autistic Disorder.

I got Pell Grants but it didn't cover my entire tuition so I got student loans. I can tell you the name of the college I attended.

Droopy said...

on $440 and on SSI and for being so allegedly severely autistic, let me get this straight

-- you

a: had no supports in the form of fiscal or any other supports, "SC" has nothing like any thing called "Vocational Rehab" and at your age you additionally magically (inspite of your claimed 'severe' Autistic condition) were not already part of a special educational process geared for DD people (do you even know what age people typically are before they gage out of that sort of support system I'm talking about? ask me, ask me how I know)

So you just got your severely autistic ass up one day and entirely manuevered all this yourself, drove yourself to the campus (whatever campus it may be) and just.. like every other student went through the process to attend, is that right?

If you give the name of this college/university are we going to find people who can recount the story of a severely disabled rather 'stand out' person faculty and students would easily recall (such as can be done at the unviersity I attended even though though it was so long ago), or are we going to find another Baggs situation where they are stunned to find this perfectly normal person who's only now transformed into what you're claiming now?

b: on SSI and $440 a month with no job experience and no credit to your name -- you magically qualified for a student LOAN?


Steph, if you're gonna make up shit here's another tip, don't make it up to people who actually know even a smidgen about these things who have enough experience to know full well that you really are talking out your ass.

Stephanie said...

Yes, SC does have Voc Rehab. I went and they didn't help me very much. I don't know how it works in your state.

I was in another "system" because I was put in institutions that faded out when I was 18. For my cousin, I believe his fades out at 21 (perhaps 22). I don't know how it works in your state.

I attended a mostly online college.

I'm not a "stand out" person. I never claimed to be. I stay by myself. I might look a little strange, I don't know.

My father co-signed for my loans. That's how I got them.

Stephanie said...

And a student is almost always offered a Stafford Sub/Unsub loan. These are loans through the government for students. You can get these regardless. You just have to fill out your FAFSA.