Wow...
I'm not sure what to say about this anymore. I dedicated good time to Anna giving her my undivided attention so she felt loved and cared for. As someone with moderate autism, this was extremely offensive to me and I'll explain why.
When I go out and have to communicate with people, it is a massive chore to make sure I'm following what I was taught thru years of therapy and say the right things. It took me a ton of speech therapy and practice to get to where I am today, and I worked hard at it. At this point, I've even gotten my Dx upgraded to HFA by my pdoc and GP. That took a ton out of me. Now when I go out and communicate with people, they enjoy being around me because I can elocute properly and keep a conversation going past "hello." Nowadays, when people find out about my autism, they tell me things like "wow! You are like the least autistic person I've ever met!" It feels bittersweet to hear that because I like that I'm able to communicate well, but on the other side it shows that these people have no idea how much I've had to work to get here. Overall though, it makes me pretty happy to identify with neurotypicals.
All that being said, what Anna did is exactly what gives people the reason to doubt my own struggles. All of those who were hurt by what she did and are saying she doesn't have autism (which I will not confirm or deny as I do not have the evidence to judge) have a reason to doubt me as well. It completely undermines those who have put in the effort to work towards a better life and beat their disorder. I do not put much emphasis on my autism much. For the most part I make jokes about myself and laugh it off as no big deal, and that's because it ISN'T a big deal as long as I work thru it and realize that it cannot stop me from being someone special and amazing in this life. Personally, I believe the vast majority of MI CAN be looked at that way. Only the truly severe cases are the ones that need to be looked upon with significance.
I understand that Anna's lying and deceit are most likely a MI of their own, but at what point do you realize that her MI is not above anyone else's? I read some of these posts about how people shouldn't blame her because it is a MI and the fact is, she took advantage of others' MI. Why should she get more empathy and support than those who were honest in the first place? Anna has a right to get help and not be made fun of over this debacle, but those who were genuinely hurt have every bit as much of a right to voice their anger/frustration towards her in a respectful way. Neither side should be undermined.
All this being said, I do not hold a grudge towards Anna and I completely forgive her. I understand that she is struggling immensely, and I would not want to be in her position because of it. However, Anna needs to humble herself over this and most importantly forgive herself. That is the hardest part of it all. Self forgiveness, as most of you should know, is the hardest type of forgiveness. I can occasionally still struggle with it from things I did when I was 8 years old.
To Anna:
Honey, I'm really sorry for your past. I'm really sorry you don't have friends and that it drove you to madness to the point where you felt you had to make up a new character just to get the attention you needed. I ask that you get serious help. Therapy works wonders for healing people like you. Don't do anything further that you will regret. Get a documented Dx before speaking about your autism, because you never know what the doc might say. Learn from this as well. You are still young and mistakes this bad happen to almost everyone. You still have a future to live for. Don't let it be dictated by your past. You can still do wondrous things with your life, because as I am living proof, Autism (even moderate autism) isn't something that has to stop you from achieving greatness. Work through this and look for the forgiveness of those who are still hurt by this. You can do it girly, anything is possible for an autistic! We are a bright and special type of people!
xo
Patoman04