Feral Children: Examples of Extreme Neglect
A feral child is a deviant child that has a lack of socialization skills because they have been isolated from human contact. Feral children lack the basic social, emotional, and physical skills that are normally learned in the process of childhood from their parents. Feral children suffer with disabilities because of their isolation, which most times can never be reversed; such as being physically malnourished, emotionally unstable, and unable to communicate. Depending on the beginning age of the neglect, the time spent in isolation and the age of rescue these effects can be manageable but they are usually never undone.
Two examples of feral children provided by the book are Anna and Genie. Anna was
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unwanted and kept in an attic. When she was found she was not able to walk, speak or even gesture for things which normal six year olds should have been able to do (she was six when found). She was placed in a special school and was provided the necessary care and eventually learned to walk, talk, and take care of herself. Sadly, she died a few years later at the age of 10. Genie on the other hand was more advanced which was probably on the account of her age. She was 13 when she was found but since the age of about two she was confined and isolated. She had trust issues even with physical things, as if she could not rely just on her eyes to know what something really was. “When something was given to her she would reach out for it, caress it in with her cheeks as though she didn’t trust her eyes”(pg. 95). She also was not familiar with the sound of a human voice because no one ever talked to her. When she was admitted to pediatric hospital the psychologist reported that “she could not stand up straight and had no control over her bodily functions”. With therapy she developed her language skills but they only had limited results. She remained in a retarded adult home until she died. A physical related consequence of neglect experienced by a feral child is the ability to not know how to walk. Teaching a child how to walk is one of the most physical things a person can do with the child. A person must first interact with that child enough to know they are ready to stand up and walk. Once they are ready, they have to have physical contact with that child in order to stand behind or in front of that child and get them into the motion of standing up and taking steps, which they must continue to do until that child is confrontable with taking steps on their own. After this, they must continue to develop the child’s walking skills by encouraging them to walk every chance they can by using different and usually fun techniques. Teaching a young child to walk is very interactive which probably why most feral children didn’t learn before being rescued. A psychological related consequence of neglect experienced by a feral child is not being able to trust their environment.
Feral children will always second guess what they see and live in fear and paranoia. The book describes it best this way:
Children whose needs are met in settings characterized by affection, warmth, and closeness see the world as a safe and comfortable place and see other people as trustworthy and helpful. By contrast, infants and children who receive less- than- adequate care or who are emotionally rejected or abused often view the world as hostile and have feelings of suspicion and fear. (pg. 93- 94)
All children need interaction to be able to identify their role in society and to gain the ability to have a relationship with others. When there is no one there to instill security into a child they will always feel unsecure. If no one teaches a child how to trust and is always hurting them, they will feel as if everyone is dangerous. It is up to the care giver to give children the tools they need in order to survive in the world and when they are not given these tools, even when rescued, many feral children do not live long because of the social expectations given to them that they know nothing
about. A language related consequence of neglect experienced by a feral child is not being able to communicate. In sociology class I have learned that talking is not the only way to communicate and that communication is a meeting of the minds. A person can communicate by language, which are symbols, and body language (including gestures). Feral children don’t get the opportunity to associate with people to understand how the system of communication works. Babies learn how to talk by hearing other people talk, and people learn body language by interacting with other people. If they don’t get the opportunity to interact with people they will have no reason to communicate and as a result will never learn. Studies have shown that after a certain age it is very hard to be taught a language, which is why it is easier to teach young children a second language. With excessive therapy communication is possible but the usage of this language will forever be different for feral children than those who learn a language the natural way. This study has given me the new understanding that socialization allows people to fit into society and without it they become deviant. Feral children have physical, psychological, and language issues that even after the rescue may never be reversed. In order for children to have the qualities needed to survive in society they must first be taught and when they are not socialized properly because of the lack of interaction with people they will or can be classified as feral children. This is why it is important to give children the correct type of socialization. If a child is not given the proper tools to live as members in society they will not be able to live as functional citizens and depending on the degree of the isolation it may lead them to their death.
Child abuse and neglect are “social” issues that were addressed by the author. While children are in foster care, they may become victims of maltreatment: child neglect, child emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The terms neglect refers to when parents fail to provide a child’s basic needs and provide satisfactory level of care (Downs, Moore and McFadden, 2009). An example of a child being neglected is when parents or c...
Most people pay no attention to the small hopeless children. "In the room a child is sitting. It could be a boy or girl. It looks about six, but actually is nearly ten. It is feeble-minded. Perhaps it was born defective or perhaps it has become imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect" (Le Guin, 3). These children most of the time go unnoticed. They are too scared to speak up about the issue or their parents beating them at home. At home "-sometimes the door rattles terribly and opens, and a person, or several people, are there. One of them may come and kick the child and make it stand up" (Le Guin, 3). These children also feel as if they speak up no one will listen because no one has ever listened to them before. "I will be good, it says. Please let me out. I will be good! They never answer". When these children finally leave they never come back to the disgust they left
Our experiences shape us into the humans we are today. While we were all raised with differing beliefs and goals in life, we all share critical developmental periods that need to be met, for us to grow and emerge into successful adults. Without proper parental supervision children will miss the window of opportunity for these critical periods, if these critical periods are not met abnormal behavior known as feral or wild will appear. Feral children have very little known of them, they’re brains are mysteries that researchers are trying to uncover. The public tends to use information that they have seen before to make assumption about uncertain subjects, most of the misconceptions about feral children and their realities stem from two Disney
An infant’s initial contact with the world and their exploration of life is directly through the parent/ primary caregiver. As the child grows, learns, and develops, a certain attachment relationship forms between them and the principle adult present in this process. Moreover, this attachment holds huge implications concerning the child’s future relationships and social successes. Children trust that their parental figure will be there; as a result, children whom form proper attachments internalize an image of their world as stable, safe, and secure. These children will grow independent while at the same time maintaining a connection with their caregivers. (Day, 2006). However, when a child f...
I watched the documentary “Secret of the Wild Child”, on a girl who was in isolation from birth to thirteen years old. Her name was Genie and is referred to as a feral child. This means she was without human contact from a young age, and has no experience of human care, social behavior, and, of the human language. Feral children are often known as being raised as animals and therefore imitating their behaviors. However, a child who is severely neglected is also considered a feral child. During the time she was discovered, around 1970, there was a major debate in the field of psychology. The famous nature verses nurture argument, meaning does genetics play a greater role in development or does one’s environment. In the case of Genie, the real focus was on her language development and deciphering if there was a critical age to learn a language.
The first stage in the development of human behavior is trust vs. mistrust which occurs from infancy to one year in the half of age. In this stage the infant is oblivious to the new world that they have entered, which results in the infant becoming dependent on their guardian for safety and care. If this infant is constantly presented with care and stability, then they will develop the ability to trust in future relationships. If the infant becomes successful of human development, then when a problem arises, then they will solve this problem with the help of others. However, if this infant lacks this ability then this will result in the development of fear. This will lead to ...
Although identity is internal it is forged through the interactions that an individual has with others. The lack of interaction with with others experienced by both feral children and Don Quixote leave their identities incomplete. Feral children become like the animals that they grow around. This prevents these children from developing a deep personality and identity. Feral children live in a space where survival itself is a challenge. When the survival of an individual is the main day to day goal things such as purpose, and personality fail to develop. This can be seen with Don Quixote as well because after he comes out of isolation his life becomes based on the goal of glory. Besides Don Quixote's desire to go on different quest to become a famous and noble knight he has nothing else. His focus on one centered goal prevents the readers from learning anything about the man besides his outside desires. Both Don Quixote and feral children live existences that allow them to focus on a central goal. The focus that they both have on this goal prevents the true formation of a well fleshed out personality, or
Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)
Feral children are humans that have lived away from human contact in as early as from immediately they are born. These children have little experience of human care that entails social care, love and especially, human language. Feral children live wildly in isolation. Sometimes, they interact more with animals than human beings.
...swered questions about these feral children. Many questions will be answered in later years and many will remain a mystery. Because of these unfortunate cases we are allowed to see what it really means to be human. Many traits and movements that we have as humans are learned at a young age. Without this knowledge we tend to act like what we were raised by. James Law, a Professor of Language and Communication in City University, London elaborated on this concept very well. “Feral children are the natural experiment which we aren’t allowed to carry out. Part of the being a human is being brought up by humans. If you’re not brought up being a human, are you a human?” In some of these cases (concerning feral children) that’s what we are dealing with.
Feral children have grown up isolated with very little or no human contact at all being unloved and unwanted. They may have been raised by animals or somehow survived on their own. The way they live causes their brain to develop in a totally different way. These feral children are deprived of human laws due to their lack of social skills, social behavior, and physical impairment.
The word “feral” is a term mostly used for animals who have not been tamed, wild or undomesticated, but I will use feral to describe children who were isolated or deprived by any means of human contact from a very young age, and have remained unaware of social norms. There are three categories of feral children; children raised in isolation, children raised in confinement, and children raised by animals.
A normal child develops in a variety of domains that are closely linked with each other. They influence and enhance each other so that the child’s growth and progress are balanced (Blank & Berg 5). Unfortunately, the circumstances faced by feral, isolated and confined children do not give them the same opportunities as normal children to have such a balanced development. Feral, isolated and confined children are those who have spent a substantial amount of their formative years away from normal human contact. Feral, wild, or wolf children are children who grew up in the protection of animals. Isolated children are those who grew up on their own in the wilderness, while confined children are those who were brought up without contact with any other people and under very deplorable situations. Whereas the circumstances of feral and isolated children are mostly unintentional, the cases of confined children are usually prompted by neglect or abuse by other people. The observations made on these children have helped in demonstrating the effects of lack of social interaction on normal growth and developmen...
Stories about children who were adopted and raised by wolves, monkeys, and bears appear from time to time. These reports are causing dismay or amaze readers of journalistic chronicles. In the middle ages, these "little savages" were seen as a symbol of chaos, heresy, insanity, and curse of God. These are those children, who have never seen humans; therefore, their behavior and attitude is very distant from normal human children. It is so amazing that different species are able to live so closer to other species with no fear or hesitation. Feral children are those children, who lived in isolation; therefore, they are able to live with young ones of other species such as bear, wolf or monkey. Due to this reason they are unable to imitate the behaviors of humans (Adler, 2013).
Only the first two stages, Trust versus Mistrust and Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt, will be discussed here. During the Infancy Stage of Trust versus Mistrust, infants gain a sense of trust from warm and responsive care. If infants' needs are not met consistently, or are met in a harsh manner, infants may believe the world is unfriendly and consequently develop mistrust. When trust is established, however, children are more capable of "waiting" when the significant figures in their lives are gone for a time. For example, during lunch time, a mom tells her daughter, "I am going to get you some milk, and I will be right back." A 20-month-old toddler may say "Mommy, mommy," but will not resort to crying, as she is able to control herself and wait for her mom. Part of developing trust means coping with separation. As teachers, we need to be sensitive to parents' feelings; some parents suffer because their child cries when they leave and others suffer because their child does not cry. Teachers can suggest that parents bring objects from home, such as blankets, soft toys, and photos, that will help comfort