Wild Child - Feral children and the critical period

Is It Real - Feral Children 4of 5
by M_I_N_D

Mythological connotations aside, 'feral children' are human children who were raised with no human contact whatsoever. In this extremely abnormal case--that could probably only happen in sparsely populated countries like Ukraine--a girl raised by wild dogs developed canine instincts and behavior. But isn't human behavior innate and hard-wired into us?
Although the prospect of a wolf child may sound like an urban legend, feral children are often abandoned during their most critical period--as young, impressionable toddlers. As we learned in class, plasticity is a pretty remarkable thing. Seeking affection and direction, we will adapt and learn under even the most bizarre conditions.

The other parts of the video highlight more of the scientific background as well as featuring other children. And this is an interesting site for more of these alarming cases of neglect. Just makes you think about how far 'nurture over nature' can take us.

- Emily Rogers