0:00:00.070,0:00:01.933 (Music) 0:00:01.933,0:00:04.602 Children are precious to human kind. 0:00:05.682,0:00:08.942 We satisfy our innate desire to [br]nurture 0:00:08.942,0:00:12.103 and carry on our bloodline through [br]our progeny. 0:00:12.683,0:00:17.103 Our children, in turn, rely on us [br]for love and survival. 0:00:18.353,0:00:22.143 What happens to a child that's been [br]abandoned by all who are charged 0:00:22.143,0:00:26.873 with protecting him and left to fend [br]for himself in the wild. 0:00:28.493,0:00:33.485 Or when a girl grows up in solitary [br]confinement in her own family's home 0:00:33.905,0:00:36.514 never knowing love or social interaction. 0:00:36.514,0:00:38.454 (Piano music) 0:00:38.454,0:00:41.323 Since the earliest of times, such stories[br] 0:00:41.323,0:00:44.623 were thought to be nothing more than [br]myths. 0:00:44.623,0:00:48.941 Could there be any truth to the lore of [br]feral children? 0:00:48.941,0:00:55.026 (Ire music) 0:00:55.026,0:00:58.702 The word "feral" means wild or [br]undomesticated. 0:00:58.702,0:01:02.203 It brings to mind the myth of Romulus,[br]the founder of Rome, 0:01:02.203,0:01:06.110 and his twin brother Remus, who were [br]raised by a wolf. 0:01:06.110,0:01:10.583 Or that of Tarzan, who lived among [br]animals in the wild. 0:01:10.583,0:01:15.414 For centuries, feral children have posed [br]questions that go to the very heart 0:01:15.414,0:01:17.822 of what it is to be human. 0:01:17.822,0:01:24.486 One of the central questions in all of [br]science that has to do with humans 0:01:24.486,0:01:30.896 is are we a product of our genes or are [br]we a product of our experience. 0:01:30.896,0:01:33.142 The old nature, nurture issue. 0:01:33.142,0:01:38.924 Feral children tap into this because they [br]are the natural experiment 0:01:38.924,0:01:41.684 that we're not allowed to carry out. 0:01:41.684,0:01:47.923 They are the children who go through[br]extraordinary circumstances at 0:01:47.923,0:01:51.342 which no one could naturally create. 0:01:52.192,0:01:56.632 But the fascination, I think, actually [br]originates in these sort of primal ideas 0:01:56.632,0:02:00.154 about the difference between humans [br]and animals. 0:02:01.524,0:02:04.902 Part of being a human is being brought [br]up by humans. 0:02:04.902,0:02:09.492 If you're not brought up by humans are [br]you completely human? 0:02:09.492,0:02:14.762 And I think in some of these cases [br]that's the issue that we're dealing with. 0:02:14.762,0:02:16.965 (bark, bark, bark, bark) 0:02:18.105,0:02:19.354 (bark, bark, bark) 0:02:19.354,0:02:21.952 One of the most extraordinary cases ever 0:02:21.952,0:02:24.796 has recently come to light in the Ukraine. 0:02:24.796,0:02:29.055 Oxana Malaya was born in November 1983. 0:02:29.055,0:02:32.844 According to medical records, she was a [br]healthy child. 0:02:33.634,0:02:37.903 So, how did Oxana become more like a dog [br]than a human being? 0:02:40.473,0:02:43.674 Her parents were alcoholics, and one [br]night, 0:02:43.674,0:02:47.103 too drunk to care, [br]they left Oxana outside. 0:02:49.893,0:02:53.443 Looking for warmth, the three year old [br]crawled into the farm kennel 0:02:53.443,0:02:58.032 and curled up with the mongrel dog that [br]probably saved her life. 0:02:59.632,0:03:01.212 (Bark, growl) 0:03:01.212,0:03:03.703 But while the dog helped her survive, 0:03:03.703,0:03:06.944 her time in the kennel[br]also had awful consequences. 0:03:06.944,0:03:08.973 (Arf, Arf, growl) 0:03:08.973,0:03:13.817 For the next five years, she would spend [br]her life living as a dog. 0:03:14.452,0:03:20.610 (Bark, bark bark, growl) 0:03:20.610,0:03:22.010 (Howling) 0:03:22.015,0:03:24.380 (drum music) 0:03:24.380,0:03:27.030 (Speaking Ukrainian) 0:03:27.030,0:03:30.131 She was more like a little dog then a [br]human child. 0:03:30.131,0:03:33.231 First of all she couldn't speak, or she [br]could hardly speak. 0:03:33.231,0:03:35.610 And actually the purpose of speaking,[br] 0:03:35.610,0:03:38.241 well she didn't think it was necessary[br]to speak at all. 0:03:38.241,0:03:46.171 (Speaking Ukrainian) 0:03:46.171,0:03:49.422 Children can copy the habits of the [br]creatures around them 0:03:49.422,0:03:53.091 if those creatures are human beings [br]they become like human beings 0:03:53.091,0:03:55.780 but, as you know, she was surrounded[br]by dogs. 0:03:55.780,0:03:58.272 So she became more like a dog than [br]a human being. 0:03:58.272,0:04:08.501 (Water running noise) 0:04:08.501,0:04:12.402 But surely the story of Oxana is a rarity, 0:04:12.402,0:04:17.171 the product of alcoholic parents in a [br]poor and depressed part of the world. 0:04:17.171,0:04:19.881 Incredibly, it would seem not. 0:04:20.371,0:04:24.283 Throughout history, children have been [br]abandoned by their parents. 0:04:24.283,0:04:27.319 Most die quickly, but some, the survivors, [br] 0:04:27.319,0:04:30.782 have resorted to extraordinary means[br]to stay alive. 0:04:32.402,0:04:36.339 How they have survived and who they [br]become are questions that have long 0:04:36.339,0:04:39.893 fascinated scientists, but understanding [br]these children 0:04:39.893,0:04:42.872 has been a slow and difficult process. 0:04:44.092,0:04:46.562 A very very good clinicians and [br]researchers 0:04:46.562,0:04:50.420 have, with the tools that they had in [br]their day and age, 0:04:50.420,0:04:53.841 they've tried to understand [br]what happened but because 0:04:53.841,0:05:00.320 it's such a complex set of phenomenon,[br]our understanding has been limited, 0:05:00.320,0:05:04.319 and it's incrementally, from generation [br]to generation to generation, 0:05:04.319,0:05:06.243 we've had better tools to better [br] 0:05:06.243,0:05:08.613 understand what happens to these [br]children. 0:05:08.613,0:05:13.502 The first scientifically documented case [br]occurred in 1800 in France. 0:05:13.782,0:05:17.870 It would send shock waves throughout [br]civilized Europe. 0:05:17.870,0:05:28.802 (music) 0:05:28.802,0:05:32.500 The scientific study of feral children [br]began in the most 0:05:32.500,0:05:35.063 improbable of circumstances. 0:05:37.323,0:05:40.122 On a cloudy afternoon in southwest [br]France, 0:05:40.122,0:05:43.211 two hunters[br]were out in the woods looking for deer. 0:05:43.211,0:05:46.881 It had been a long day and they hadn't [br]caught anything, 0:05:46.881,0:05:49.641 but their luck was about to change. 0:05:50.182,0:05:58.621 (ire noises) 0:05:58.621,0:06:01.160 (tribal drums) 0:06:01.160,0:06:05.592 For years, scared villagers had talked [br]of a strange wild child 0:06:05.592,0:06:07.161 that lurked in the forest. 0:06:07.161,0:06:11.421 (bark, bark, bark, bark, bark) 0:06:11.421,0:06:15.332 He had been caught twice before but [br]had always managed to escape. 0:06:15.332,0:06:18.672 (bark, bark bark) 0:06:18.672,0:06:21.533 This time, however, he wouldn't [br]get away. 0:06:21.533,0:06:32.771 (bark, bark, bark) 0:06:32.771,0:06:35.042 News of the capture spread fast. 0:06:35.042,0:06:39.412 In Paris, one young doctor, Jean Itard,[br]was especially interested. 0:06:39.412,0:06:43.691 (music) 0:06:43.691,0:06:45.661 The boy was brought to Paris. 0:06:45.661,0:06:47.681 Most of the city's medical professionals 0:06:47.681,0:06:52.562 quickly decided that the boy, now called [br]Victor, was nothing more than an idiot. 0:06:53.162,0:06:55.752 But something about him captivated [br]Itard. 0:06:56.052,0:06:59.260 The first thing which is truly remarkable [br]about Itard, 0:06:59.260,0:07:04.623 is his extremely scientific approach[br]to reporting what he did. 0:07:05.183,0:07:10.355 He gives a wonderful wealth of detail [br]about the child, 0:07:10.355,0:07:13.803 what the child did, when he tried [br]certain things. 0:07:13.803,0:07:18.572 So he is very clearly linked into 0:07:18.572,0:07:21.582 a tradition which we're still involved [br]with now. 0:07:21.742,0:07:22.953 (clap, clap) 0:07:22.953,0:07:27.092 The modern scientific study of feral [br]children had begun. 0:07:27.092,0:07:31.082 For Itard there were two tests of [br]what it meant to be human, 0:07:31.082,0:07:34.793 the ability to feel empathy and to [br]use language. 0:07:34.793,0:07:39.583 Victor could do neither, and so was,[br]in Itard's eyes scarcely human. 0:07:39.583,0:07:44.152 (music) 0:07:44.152,0:07:45.522 No, Victor no alet. 0:07:45.522,0:07:47.812 At first, he was wild and hard to[br]control. 0:07:47.812,0:07:52.113 But slowly, Dr. Itard and his [br]housekeeper, Madame Guérin 0:07:52.113,0:07:54.053 started making progress. 0:07:55.053,0:07:58.632 Itard's belief in love and kindness [br]seemed to be working. 0:07:58.632,0:08:02.992 (music) 0:08:02.992,0:08:06.783 But after his years alone in the [br]woods, Itard knew that Victor 0:08:06.783,0:08:09.113 still craved for the wild. 0:08:10.883,0:08:13.084 Every day they would walk together, 0:08:13.084,0:08:16.351 and with every day, Victor became [br]less wild. 0:08:16.351,0:08:19.711 (music) 0:08:19.711,0:08:22.903 And eventually, Madame Guérin was [br]able to take over 0:08:22.903,0:08:25.473 what were, for Victor, some of his [br]happiest times. 0:08:25.473,0:08:27.952 (music) 0:08:27.952,0:08:30.343 He loved nature, but he also seemed [br]to be showing 0:08:30.343,0:08:32.732 real feelings for the people around him. 0:08:33.612,0:08:40.583 I think that Jean Itard understood the [br]importance of parental love 0:08:40.583,0:08:47.707 and so, he put Victor in a situation [br]where he had in essence a um, 0:08:47.707,0:08:52.922 substitute mother, Madame Guérin [br]and she played the role of mother. 0:08:52.922,0:08:57.933 She understood the importance of [br]constant care 0:08:57.933,0:09:03.683 and understood intuitively how important [br]it is to touch people. 0:09:03.683,0:09:06.983 (music) 0:09:06.983,0:09:10.672 And in the months that followed, there [br]was even more progress. 0:09:12.342,0:09:16.734 Victor enjoyed helping Madame Guérin [br]and had learned to lay the table. 0:09:16.734,0:09:21.133 (flute music) 0:09:21.133,0:09:25.814 But one lunch time he was laying the [br]table as usual when Madame Guérin 0:09:25.814,0:09:27.323 started crying. 0:09:29.353,0:09:31.804 Her husband had recently died. 0:09:32.274,0:09:35.521 Incredibly, Victor seemed to understand. 0:09:38.271,0:09:42.031 Quietly, he simply removed the place [br]setting. 0:09:42.046,0:09:48.226 (flute music) 0:09:48.231,0:09:51.892 This was the breakthrough Itard [br]had been waiting for. 0:09:51.892,0:09:56.883 Victor seemed to be showing real empathy [br]and understanding at last. 0:09:56.883,0:10:06.693 (music) 0:10:06.693,0:10:11.362 By putting away, um, the place he laid, he[br]was showing that he could empathize 0:10:11.362,0:10:12.843 with Madame Guérin. 0:10:12.843,0:10:15.121 He realized that he'd made a mistake. 0:10:15.121,0:10:19.673 That his mistake had hurt her and I think [br]in by doing that, 0:10:19.673,0:10:23.463 he was showing his ability to put himself [br]in a position of another human being, 0:10:23.463,0:10:25.964 something which, when he was first [br]brought to Paris, 0:10:25.964,0:10:27.471 would have seemed impossible. 0:10:28.181,0:10:31.281 Victor had passed the first of Itard's [br]tests. 0:10:31.281,0:10:35.432 Nervous but excited, Itard realized that [br]it was now or never. 0:10:35.432,0:10:38.853 It was time for Victor to learn to talk. 0:10:38.853,0:10:43.571 (music) 0:10:43.571,0:10:48.921 But before he could talk, Itard wanted to [br]know that Victor could recognize sounds. 0:10:48.921,0:10:52.082 To test this, he blindfolded him and gave [br]him a drum and a bell. 0:10:52.082,0:10:55.082 (music) 0:10:55.082,0:10:58.854 It was a game Victor loved and [br]understood immediately. 0:10:58.854,0:11:02.612 For Itard, this was just the start he had [br]wanted. 0:11:02.612,0:11:06.332 Did his mean that Victor would finally [br]be able to master language? 0:11:06.332,0:11:11.642 (drum and bell sounds) 0:11:12.292,0:11:17.093 A drum is one thing, but language is [br]infinitely more complex. 0:11:17.093,0:11:20.632 Before he would be able to talk, Itard [br]knew that Victor would have to 0:11:20.632,0:11:22.782 master his vowel sounds, 0:11:22.782,0:11:25.021 the building blocks of all language. 0:11:25.021,0:11:25.722 O 0:11:26.592,0:11:28.873 Victor (something in French) 0:11:30.163,0:11:31.020 Victor. 0:11:31.490,0:11:34.442 But this time, Victor was at a complete [br]loss. 0:11:34.442,0:11:37.224 To him, it was all nothing more[br]than a game. 0:11:37.344,0:11:38.344 Ah, 0:11:40.494,0:11:44.504 Itard could see his dreams for Victor [br]disappearing before his eyes, 0:11:44.504,0:11:48.252 and for the first time ever, lost his [br]temper with the boy. 0:11:48.252,0:11:50.533 Victor no (slap sound) 0:11:50.533,0:11:53.904 (boy crying) 0:11:53.904,0:11:58.112 But it was no good, Itard realized [br]that Victor just couldn't make sense 0:11:58.112,0:12:00.892 of the sounds that other children take [br]for granted. 0:12:00.892,0:12:03.442 (music) 0:12:03.442,0:12:06.903 Without this, how could he ever be [br]expected to talk? 0:12:08.643,0:12:11.843 Itard felt that, to be a human being in [br]the fullest possible sense, 0:12:11.843,0:12:14.823 you had to be sociable, you had to be [br]language using, 0:12:14.823,0:12:19.100 had to be measured, orderly, artificial,[br]and when he realized 0:12:19.100,0:12:23.501 that Victor was unable to obtain that,[br]I think he loses interest 0:12:23.501,0:12:26.754 and um, really leaves him to his own [br]devices. 0:12:26.754,0:12:31.082 For the next 20 years, Victor would live[br]with Madame Guérin. 0:12:31.082,0:12:35.294 Happy, but abandoned by the man who [br]had tried so hard to save him. 0:12:35.294,0:12:39.901 With Victor, Itard had shown that it [br]possible to bring a feral child 0:12:39.901,0:12:45.122 back into society, but with language,[br]the ultimate test, he had failed. 0:12:45.122,0:12:49.673 Despite this, interest in feral children [br]continued unabated. 0:12:51.223,0:12:56.772 In 1828, a young boy, Casper Hauser,[br]was found lost and alone 0:12:56.772,0:12:57.653 in Germany. 0:12:58.993,0:13:02.060 His background as much of a mystery [br]as Victor's. 0:13:02.080,0:13:06.673 And as the century wore on, more reports [br]were appearing from distant corners 0:13:06.673,0:13:07.973 of the globe. 0:13:07.973,0:13:10.423 From India, in particular, came a series 0:13:10.423,0:13:13.423 of stories about children living with [br]wolves. 0:13:13.423,0:13:17.992 Distant and unproven, to scientists they [br]seemed little more than myth. 0:13:17.992,0:13:21.222 Then, in 1930, a properly documented case 0:13:21.222,0:13:24.814 of two girls living with a wolf pack came [br]to light. 0:13:24.814,0:13:27.612 American scientists were particularly [br]interested, 0:13:27.612,0:13:32.431 but before the girls could get to the [br]United States, both died of fever. 0:13:34.841,0:13:37.433 One of the scientists who had been [br]waiting to see them 0:13:37.433,0:13:40.563 was primatologist Winthrop Kellogg. 0:13:40.563,0:13:43.244 Despite this setback, he was determined [br]to prove 0:13:43.244,0:13:47.021 that nurture was the dominant influence [br]in child development. 0:13:48.651,0:13:51.994 Kellogg knew that the perfect way to [br]prove his theory was to um, 0:13:51.994,0:13:53.861 engineer a feral child . 0:13:53.861,0:13:57.294 To bring to get a baby, put them among [br]wolves and to see what happened. 0:13:57.294,0:13:59.622 Clearly this is the one experiment[br]he couldn't do, 0:13:59.622,0:14:01.321 this was the forbidden experiment. 0:14:01.321,0:14:03.834 So what he decided to do was the next [br]best thing, 0:14:03.834,0:14:06.724 which was to reverse that forbidden [br]experiment 0:14:06.724,0:14:09.642 and to bring an ape into human family. 0:14:10.002,0:14:12.422 For the next year, the chimpanzee Gua, 0:14:12.422,0:14:15.463 would spend every day with Kellogg's [br]young son Donald. 0:14:16.643,0:14:21.314 As Kellogg had predicted, Gua could learn [br]many human characteristics, 0:14:21.314,0:14:24.306 but the experiment had unforeseen [br]consequences. 0:14:24.696,0:14:28.112 Kellogg really thought of this as an [br]experiment on the chimpanzee. 0:14:28.112,0:14:31.494 In actual fact, it became equally[br]an experiment on his son. 0:14:31.494,0:14:34.279 Particularly in the way in which his [br]son was picking up, 0:14:34.279,0:14:36.179 or not picking up, language. 0:14:36.179,0:14:38.123 Rather than learning words, 0:14:38.123,0:14:41.573 Donald was learning the barks [br]and yelps of a chimpanzee. 0:14:41.573,0:14:44.974 Horrified, Kellogg called off the [br]experiment. 0:14:44.974,0:14:49.632 Almost by accident, Kellogg had shown [br]the vulnerability of early childhood. 0:14:49.632,0:14:52.163 How the smallest changes in [br]environment 0:14:52.163,0:14:55.163 can have unforeseen and long lasting [br]effects. 0:14:55.163,0:14:58.792 It was a subject that continued to [br]intrigue scientists. 0:14:59.772,0:15:03.212 In the 1960s, American psychologist [br]Harry Harlow 0:15:03.212,0:15:05.444 continued where Kellogg had left off. 0:15:07.494,0:15:10.664 Harlow's work was really seminal in this [br]entire field 0:15:10.664,0:15:14.873 because he showed the crucial importance[br]of the caregiving relationship 0:15:14.873,0:15:19.224 between a mother and an infant and how [br]the physical stimulation, 0:15:19.224,0:15:23.112 literally the physical contact with the [br]caregiver, 0:15:23.112,0:15:26.834 has profound impact on healthy [br]development. 0:15:27.724,0:15:31.804 At birth, Harlow took baby monkeys [br]from their mothers. 0:15:31.804,0:15:35.732 They were then given a choice between [br]a cold wire monkey with milk 0:15:35.732,0:15:38.113 or a soft warm monkey without. 0:15:38.763,0:15:43.104 Amazingly, they chose the more comforting [br]figure every time. 0:15:44.664,0:15:47.802 And socially, the effects were [br]devastating. 0:15:47.802,0:15:51.431 Raised in isolation, without any love or [br]encouragement, 0:15:51.431,0:15:54.384 these young monkeys were scared and [br]confused. 0:15:54.384,0:15:56.312 Harlow couldn't explain it, 0:15:56.312,0:16:00.583 but something about this early isolation [br]had damaged them for life. 0:16:03.103,0:16:04.993 But these were monkeys. 0:16:04.993,0:16:08.033 Would the same be true for a human child? 0:16:08.033,0:16:12.643 It would be another 20 years before [br]scientists had a chance to find out, 0:16:12.643,0:16:17.683 and when they did, it would be in the [br]busiest, most urban setting imaginable. 0:16:18.493,0:16:20.951 Officials in the Los Angeles suburb [br]of Arcadia 0:16:20.951,0:16:23.482 have taken custody of a 13-year-old girl, 0:16:23.482,0:16:26.422 and they say was kept in such isolation [br]by her parents 0:16:26.422,0:16:28.558 that she never even learned to talk. 0:16:28.558,0:16:30.663 The girl still wore diapers and was [br]uttering 0:16:30.663,0:16:34.752 infantile noises when a social worker [br]discovered the case two weeks ago. 0:16:34.752,0:16:38.403 The authorities are hoping she still may [br]have a normal learning capacity. 0:16:39.633,0:16:41.887 Among the first to see the child was 0:16:41.887,0:16:44.814 Temple City detective Sergeant [br]Frank Linley. 0:16:44.814,0:16:52.294 (Ire music) 0:16:52.294,0:16:56.692 I already knew that the child was [br]13 1/2 years old 0:16:56.892,0:17:00.495 and I took one look at her and she wasn't[br]much bigger 0:17:00.495,0:17:06.371 than my daughter Beverly, who had just [br]turned seven about three months earlier, 0:17:06.371,0:17:10.562 and I really had a hard time [br]conceiving of the idea 0:17:10.562,0:17:12.892 that the child was the age that [br]she was. 0:17:13.932,0:17:17.757 The child obviously had been [br]severely mistreated. 0:17:17.757,0:17:20.190 After she was still in diapers, [br]couldn't walk, 0:17:20.190,0:17:22.952 she had no verbal skills at all at [br]that point. 0:17:22.952,0:17:26.732 (Ire music) 0:17:26.732,0:17:31.893 The last time I was on this street was[br]probably 30 years ago. 0:17:33.983,0:17:35.253 Yup, there it is. 0:17:36.173,0:17:39.519 Hasn't changed much, the backyard [br]looks the same, 0:17:39.519,0:17:41.772 it's all weeds and dead grass. 0:17:43.872,0:17:46.694 Looks the same as it did in 1970. 0:17:48.084,0:17:50.443 The house belonged to Clark Wiley. 0:17:50.443,0:17:52.952 A loner, Clark had turned his back [br]on the world 0:17:52.952,0:17:55.823 after his mother had been killed[br]in a hit and run accident. 0:17:56.913,0:18:01.463 After the accident, things in the Wiley [br]house would never be the same again. 0:18:01.463,0:18:05.201 (ire piano music) 0:18:05.201,0:18:07.743 The house was completely dark, 0:18:07.743,0:18:10.041 all the blinds were drawn, 0:18:10.041,0:18:11.781 and there were no toys, 0:18:11.781,0:18:14.813 no clothes, nothing that would ever [br]indicate 0:18:14.813,0:18:18.402 to you that a child of any age lived [br]there. 0:18:18.402,0:18:22.422 (Ire music) 0:18:22.433,0:18:27.032 The child's bedroom was back [br]in this corner. 0:18:27.912,0:18:29.393 That was the bedroom. 0:18:29.813,0:18:33.932 The windows were covered to[br]about three inches from the top, 0:18:33.932,0:18:37.374 which were the only natural light [br]that had ever come in there 0:18:37.374,0:18:39.783 in all the time the child was in the [br]bedroom. 0:18:40.613,0:18:43.163 Entire furnishings in the bedroom [br]consisted of a cage 0:18:43.163,0:18:48.140 with a uh, pull-down chicken-wire lid 0:18:48.140,0:18:52.805 and some type of piece of wire securing [br]it when they closed it down. 0:18:52.805,0:18:57.934 There was a potty chair with some [br]kind of homemade strapping device. 0:18:57.934,0:19:03.293 For 13 years Genie had spent her [br]nights locked in bed. 0:19:03.293,0:19:05.965 Her days, strapped to a potty chair. 0:19:05.965,0:19:09.052 During that time, Clark had ordered [br]his son John 0:19:09.052,0:19:12.033 and wife Irene never to talk to her. 0:19:13.123,0:19:18.722 In her darkened room, she had lead a [br]life of near-total isolation. 0:19:20.782,0:19:24.402 Even close neighbors were completely [br]unaware of her presence. 0:19:25.522,0:19:27.902 We came home from work and the [br]police was here and 0:19:27.902,0:19:29.354 they came to question us. 0:19:29.354,0:19:32.353 That's when we found out you know, [br]what happened 0:19:32.353,0:19:34.503 and, you know, that they had a little [br]girl. 0:19:35.823,0:19:38.213 Nobody know, nobody knew before. 0:19:38.493,0:19:41.002 And when we found out what happened, 0:19:41.002,0:19:42.003 how she was treated. 0:19:42.003,0:19:46.993 I mean, everybody was shocked[br]and just unbelievable. 0:19:47.713,0:19:51.915 For their whole marriage,[br]Clark had imposed his will on Irene, 0:19:51.915,0:19:55.431 and blind with cataracts,[br]she had been too scared to resist. 0:19:55.431,0:19:57.464 But one day, something broke. 0:19:57.994,0:20:01.903 While Clark was out buying groceries,[br]she seized her chance and fled. 0:20:01.903,0:20:05.958 It was the first glimpse the world would [br]have of Clark and Irene's dark secret. 0:20:06.528,0:20:09.733 I met Clark and Irene[br]at Temple City Sheriffs station, [br] 0:20:09.733,0:20:12.353 they were both under arrest at the time. 0:20:12.353,0:20:17.082 When we interviewed Irene, she would[br]make no mention of the family whatsoever, 0:20:17.082,0:20:18.413 particularly the children. 0:20:18.913,0:20:22.494 I attempted along with my partner[br]to interview Clark. 0:20:22.494,0:20:24.824 he refused to talk to us, he wouldn't [br]say a word. 0:20:24.824,0:20:28.454 He never even acknowledged that he [br]understood what we were talking about. 0:20:28.454,0:20:32.543 Unable to face the truth,[br]Clark took matters into his own hands. 0:20:35.843,0:20:39.414 This morning, the authorities reported[br]that 70-year-old Clark Wiley 0:20:39.414,0:20:41.985 shot and killed himself, just before [br]he was 0:20:41.985,0:20:45.795 to go to court and be arraigned for [br]child abuse. 0:20:45.795,0:20:49.242 After 13 years, Genie was at last free. 0:20:49.242,0:20:53.532 And for scientists, she was[br]just the case they had been waiting for. 0:20:55.782,0:21:00.434 For 13 years, Genie had lived a life [br]of complete isolation. 0:21:01.274,0:21:05.514 Raised in a city bedroom, Genie was [br]as much a feral child 0:21:05.514,0:21:07.793 as if she had been brought up by wolves. 0:21:08.673,0:21:11.952 At 13, she was the size of a six-year-old. 0:21:11.952,0:21:15.277 Worst of all, she had never been [br]taught to speak. 0:21:15.277,0:21:18.681 The question now, could she ever [br]learn? 0:21:18.681,0:21:22.153 (Ire music) 0:21:22.153,0:21:26.045 Genie's case was so scientifically [br]important that the government 0:21:26.045,0:21:30.484 funded a team of scientists to help [br]answer the many questions she posed. 0:21:32.224,0:21:34.142 (It's so good to see you.) 0:21:34.142,0:21:37.474 Two of the scientists who would [br]become especially important to Genie 0:21:37.474,0:21:42.072 were child psychologist Kent[br]and linguist Susan Curtis. 0:21:42.072,0:21:44.563 (It's so wonderful to see you, thank god.) 0:21:44.983,0:21:48.653 Neither had ever encountered a case[br]as extreme as Genie's. 0:21:48.653,0:21:54.723 (ire music) 0:21:54.723,0:21:59.703 We looked at her as a as a newborn in [br]a way, even though we know she hadn't. 0:21:59.703,0:22:03.904 She came with 13 years of memories and [br]experiences, not all of them wonderful, 0:22:03.904,0:22:09.113 most of them not, I think, and so we felt [br]we needed to start to expose her 0:22:09.113,0:22:13.075 to what the world was going to be like [br]for her outside the hospital bed. 0:22:13.655,0:22:16.592 To Genie, everything was a new experience. 0:22:18.442,0:22:21.123 We did what you would do with, [br]with your own kids, 0:22:21.123,0:22:23.625 if you were introducing them to the [br]world. 0:22:23.625,0:22:26.002 You'd take them out and hold them up[br]and show them, 0:22:26.002,0:22:29.451 and sort of judge from how they reacted[br]to whether this was to much or not enough 0:22:29.451,0:22:31.564 and you could move on and do [br]the next thing. 0:22:31.564,0:22:35.082 Genie was making amazing progress, [br]as the experts looked on 0:22:35.082,0:22:38.080 they realized that she might be [br]the answer to the question that 0:22:38.080,0:22:40.683 had troubled science for so long. 0:22:41.673,0:22:46.784 So, we seized this wonderful opportunity [br]that she provided us 0:22:46.784,0:22:53.493 in as loving a way as we could,[br]but using it to finally 0:22:53.493,0:22:58.372 get our chance to address head on[br]specific hypotheses 0:22:58.372,0:23:02.052 and notions about human language[br]and the human mind. 0:23:02.052,0:23:03.572 (piano music) 0:23:03.572,0:23:06.043 These hypotheses were based on the [br]latest ideas 0:23:06.043,0:23:09.043 about how children's brains developed. 0:23:09.043,0:23:11.923 According to the theory, young children [br]could 0:23:11.923,0:23:16.162 only learn certain things at certain [br]times, called critical periods. 0:23:16.462,0:23:20.505 Language was one of these critical [br]periods, and according to the theory, 0:23:20.505,0:23:24.132 Genie, who was now a teenager,[br]had missed her chance forever. 0:23:24.132,0:23:26.673 (Piano music) 0:23:26.673,0:23:30.442 But incredibly, Genie seemed to be [br]proving the theory wrong. 0:23:30.442,0:23:33.442 As this footage shows, Genie was[br]blossoming. 0:23:33.442,0:23:36.052 Not only was she delighted by the [br]world around her, 0:23:36.052,0:23:38.393 but she was learning the words [br]for the new things 0:23:38.393,0:23:39.543 she was seeing. 0:23:39.543,0:23:43.824 [piano music] 0:23:43.824,0:23:47.325 She was extremely interested in [br]everything around her, 0:23:47.325,0:23:50.035 she wanted to know the word for [br]everything around her. 0:23:50.035,0:23:53.414 She wanted to engage people all around [br]her. 0:23:53.414,0:23:56.324 She was not mentally deficient, her [br]lights were on, 0:23:56.324,0:23:59.484 and everyone who worked with [br]her, from teachers, 0:23:59.484,0:24:04.684 to therapists, to me, knew that she [br]was not retarded. 0:24:04.684,0:24:06.113 It was clear as day. 0:24:06.113,0:24:08.174 [piano music] 0:24:08.174,0:24:11.923 And as she began to learn more [br]and more words, hundreds of words, 0:24:11.923,0:24:17.182 much more rapidly than I ever imagined [br]and swinging them together, 0:24:17.182,0:24:20.211 I began to think maybe I will [br]be wrong, 0:24:20.211,0:24:26.403 maybe she will be the one that will [br]prove that this hypothesis is incorrect. 0:24:26.403,0:24:30.321 But Genie could not escape the [br]effects of her past so easily. 0:24:30.321,0:24:33.402 She was still haunted by her [br]traumatic upbringing. 0:24:33.402,0:24:36.641 Trapped by the memories of the [br]awful fate she had suffered. 0:24:36.851,0:24:40.264 And linguistically, she had stopped [br]making progress. 0:24:40.264,0:24:43.552 She learned tons of words, she has [br]an enormous vocabulary. 0:24:43.802,0:24:47.715 But language is not words, language [br]is grammar, 0:24:47.995,0:24:50.302 language is sentences. 0:24:50.842,0:24:52.202 How do you make a sentence? 0:24:52.202,0:24:53.686 What can be a sentence? 0:24:53.686,0:24:54.954 What is a sentence? 0:24:54.954,0:24:57.783 How do you automatically know [br]something's a sentence? 0:24:58.413,0:25:03.733 So, it wasn't because she was cognitively [br]deficient in other respects, 0:25:03.733,0:25:10.633 it was because she was cognitively [br]deficient in this island of human mind, 0:25:10.633,0:25:13.234 the mental faculty that we call grammar. 0:25:13.234,0:25:17.132 At the time Genie was found, brain [br]science was in its infancy. 0:25:17.132,0:25:20.414 But today, we have a much clearer [br]picture of what actually happens 0:25:20.414,0:25:23.214 in cases of extreme neglect like Genie's. 0:25:24.744,0:25:29.494 In Genie's brain, the left part of her,[br]her brain, the, her cortex 0:25:29.494,0:25:33.572 that, that has those neural systems[br]responsible for speech and language, 0:25:33.572,0:25:35.412 because she never heard any words 0:25:35.412,0:25:38.403 and because she was never taught, 0:25:38.403,0:25:41.403 spoken to very often, they didn't[br]get stimulated. 0:25:41.403,0:25:46.843 And because they weren't stimulated,[br]they got smaller and less functional 0:25:46.843,0:25:52.564 and disconnected and ultimately that part [br]of the brain literally physically changes. 0:25:52.574,0:25:57.343 Today, with modern imaging technology, [br]we can actually see what happens 0:25:57.343,0:26:01.952 in the brains of feral children, [br]and the effects are shocking. 0:26:02.412,0:26:06.734 Without normal stimulation, [br]their brains are smaller and malformed. 0:26:06.734,0:26:10.582 And the earlier this neglect begins,[br]and the longer it carries on, 0:26:10.582,0:26:12.542 the worse the damage will be. 0:26:13.042,0:26:14.923 Starved of stimulation, 0:26:14.923,0:26:18.753 Genie's brain had simply not [br]developed the capacity for language. 0:26:18.753,0:26:22.583 And now that she was a teenager,[br]she would never be able to learn. 0:26:22.816,0:26:27.053 Despite this, Genie continued to be a [br]close part of everyone's life. 0:26:27.053,0:26:29.462 But there was more trouble ahead. 0:26:32.002,0:26:34.572 Children have to belong to somebody [br]when they grow up, 0:26:34.572,0:26:38.013 and she was still a child, and she [br]needed a family to belong to. 0:26:38.013,0:26:41.455 So that's what we would have liked, [br]a family that she could belong to. 0:26:42.205,0:26:45.395 Um, and that's not what happened [br]unfortunately. 0:26:45.985,0:26:51.635 What did happen is about the worst[br]outcome, I think we would have envisioned. 0:26:52.224,0:26:55.842 On her 18th birthday, Genie moved[br]back with her mother Irene 0:26:55.842,0:26:59.381 into the house in which she had been [br]so terribly abused. 0:26:59.381,0:27:03.583 But after only a few weeks, it was clear [br]that Irene couldn't cope. 0:27:03.583,0:27:08.105 From here, Genie was moved into [br]state care with terrible consequences. 0:27:08.105,0:27:09.965 [piano music] 0:27:09.965,0:27:12.923 I was a student, and people wouldn't [br]listen to me, 0:27:12.923,0:27:15.995 people who needed to intervene [br]did not listen to me, 0:27:15.995,0:27:18.995 and so I spent lots and lots of time 0:27:18.995,0:27:23.242 on the phone pleading with people [br]to intervene and save this person, 0:27:23.242,0:27:28.803 who had had the worst experience [br]of deprivation and isolation 0:27:28.803,0:27:31.003 in all recorded medical history. 0:27:31.383,0:27:33.554 Genie moved from home to home, 0:27:33.554,0:27:36.724 sometimes with the very people[br]who served as her therapists. 0:27:36.954,0:27:38.995 This potential conflict of interest [br] 0:27:38.995,0:27:42.595 raised tensions among the many people[br]involved in her life, 0:27:42.595,0:27:45.562 and a tug of war erupted over the child. 0:27:45.562,0:27:50.003 As Genie's condition deteriorated,[br]Irene decided that Susan Curtis 0:27:50.003,0:27:53.252 and the other academics had become [br]too close to Genie. 0:27:53.882,0:27:55.462 A lawsuit followed. 0:27:58.072,0:28:00.634 I went from being asked to be her guardian 0:28:00.634,0:28:05.183 to one week later being prevented from[br]seeing her or phoning her. 0:28:05.183,0:28:09.165 And ever since then, I've been prevented [br]from having any contact at all. 0:28:09.165,0:28:13.384 So, although I have lots of, [br]you know that I'm still a scientist, 0:28:13.384,0:28:16.084 I'm still interested in knowing things 0:28:16.084,0:28:19.970 about her language now and all kinds [br]of interesting things 0:28:19.970,0:28:22.220 I would like to pursue academically. 0:28:22.220,0:28:25.254 Primarily, I would just like to see her. 0:28:25.614,0:28:31.434 Now a ward of the court, Genie lives in an[br]adult care home somewhere in Los Angeles. 0:28:31.434,0:28:35.422 Prevented from seeing the people who [br]once meant so much to her. 0:28:35.672,0:28:39.834 But children like Genie continue to be [br]discovered even today. 0:28:40.404,0:28:44.224 We actually are seeing an increase in [br]the number of severely neglected children 0:28:44.224,0:28:47.564 who are in physically and [br]socially isolated environments 0:28:47.564,0:28:51.733 and, and have feral child-like properties. 0:28:51.733,0:28:53.604 [piano music] 0:28:53.604,0:28:55.984 [roar] 0:28:56.304,0:29:03.902 [music] 0:29:03.902,0:29:08.033 In the Ukraine, we uncovered an [br]incredible story. 0:29:08.033,0:29:12.512 Mirny is a depressed and rundown [br]town miles from anywhere. 0:29:12.512,0:29:17.154 Before the collapse of the Soviet Union,[br]Mirny was a thriving Navy town. 0:29:17.154,0:29:21.813 But now, half the flats are empty, and [br]stray dogs roam the streets. 0:29:21.813,0:29:25.806 But in 1999, social workers found a [br]situation 0:29:25.806,0:29:28.863 shocking even by the standards of Mirny. 0:29:30.213,0:29:34.664 On the third floor of this block, [br]a four-year-old boy called Edic 0:29:34.664,0:29:37.245 was found in a deserted flat. 0:29:37.995,0:29:40.914 His alcoholic mother was nowhere [br]to be seen. 0:29:42.004,0:29:45.194 As the authorities started asking [br]questions, 0:29:45.194,0:29:48.834 a horrifying picture began to emerge. 0:29:48.834,0:29:52.893 While Edic's younger sister Nadia had [br]been cared for by neighbors, 0:29:52.893,0:29:56.513 Edic had been forced to look elsewhere [br]for love and affection. 0:29:58.833,0:30:03.134 Without a mother to care for him,[br]Edic had turned to the local stray dogs 0:30:03.134,0:30:05.203 for warmth and protection. 0:30:06.803,0:30:11.425 Worse, he started to behave more like [br]a dog than a human being. 0:30:11.433,0:30:18.753 [music] 0:30:18.753,0:30:20.442 [girl speaking Ukrainian] 0:30:20.442,0:30:23.174 His behavior was exactly like[br]a dog's behavior should be. 0:30:23.174,0:30:25.263 He was taking the food only with [br]his hands, 0:30:25.263,0:30:27.894 and he was scratching the younger [br]kids and biting them. 0:30:27.894,0:30:36.443 [dog growling with kids talking in [br]background] 0:30:36.443,0:30:41.593 Two years later, Edic is six and lives in [br]a foster home in the nearest city. 0:30:41.593,0:30:45.522 He has made remarkable progress but [br]still has many problems. 0:30:45.522,0:30:49.294 His behavior has improved, and he is[br]better with the other children. 0:30:49.294,0:30:51.843 But linguistically, he is slow. 0:30:53.093,0:30:58.775 Doctors have told us while Edic is six,[br]his language is that of a three-year-old. 0:31:01.175,0:31:05.495 It seemed that Edic was suffering from [br]many of the same language problems 0:31:05.495,0:31:08.513 that had affected Victor and Genie [br]so badly. 0:31:08.513,0:31:10.083 The crucial question: 0:31:10.083,0:31:15.034 Had he been found in time, [br]or would he, like them, never recover? 0:31:18.804,0:31:22.465 To try and gain an accurate picture[br]of Edic's condition, 0:31:22.465,0:31:25.923 we took a leading language expert, [br]professor James Law, 0:31:25.923,0:31:28.923 to the Ukraine to evaluate Edic. 0:31:28.923,0:31:33.514 There seemed to be a lot of similarities [br]between Edic and other feral children. 0:31:33.934,0:31:37.252 One of the interesting things is he's [br]being identified rather younger 0:31:37.252,0:31:39.012 than some of the more extreme cases. 0:31:39.012,0:31:40.144 So, they were... 0:31:40.144,0:31:43.883 They had a, had a much longer, [br]extended period of neglect, 0:31:43.883,0:31:48.761 whereas his neglect has been pretty acute,[br]but, but for a finite period of time, 0:31:48.761,0:31:52.184 and then he's come to this warm and [br]very supportive foster family, 0:31:52.184,0:31:54.554 and that has to be a good thing. 0:31:54.554,0:31:55.573 I'd like to start. 0:31:55.573,0:31:58.743 To get a better picture, James spoke [br]with Edic's foster mother. 0:31:58.743,0:32:06.835 [Speaking Ukrainian] 0:32:06.835,0:32:09.454 At the beginning, he was a wild child. 0:32:09.454,0:32:14.674 He didn't know anything, he didn't [br]even know what a plate or a spoon was, 0:32:14.674,0:32:16.783 or how he should use them, 0:32:16.783,0:32:21.203 and it took months to make him to eat [br]normally and to get him to wear clothes 0:32:21.203,0:32:23.055 and behave normally. 0:32:26.025,0:32:31.286 Picture that his foster mother [br]paints is in the last six months or so, 0:32:31.286,0:32:34.004 there seems to be a bit of a [br]breakthrough in some way, 0:32:34.004,0:32:36.334 and it's not so much to do with his[br]language, 0:32:36.334,0:32:37.963 although that has been improving, 0:32:37.963,0:32:42.657 it's to do with his ability to relate to [br]other people and to like empathize. 0:32:44.687,0:32:47.114 With Edic's background clear in his mind,[br] 0:32:47.114,0:32:51.704 James could begin to make a more formal[br]assessment 0:32:51.884,0:32:54.884 of Edic's strengths and weaknesses. 0:32:55.114,0:32:59.654 As the session progressed, it was clear [br]that Edic was reveling in the attention. 0:33:01.084,0:33:05.720 But just how much of an impact had two [br]years of neglect had on his language? 0:33:05.720,0:33:08.032 It was time for James to find out. 0:33:08.032,0:33:11.067 [dogs barking] 0:33:11.067,0:33:14.794 [boy speaking in Ukrainian] 0:33:14.794,0:33:20.836 Listen, listen, sh sh sh sh. 0:33:20.836,0:33:23.415 Edic, (Ukrainian) 0:33:23.415,0:33:26.625 Just quickly, point to the elephant [br]first. 0:33:26.625,0:33:30.086 Sh sh, listen very carefully. 0:33:30.086,0:33:34.773 Point to the elephant first and [br]then point to the giraffe. 0:33:34.773,0:33:38.405 (Speaking Ukrainian) 0:33:38.405,0:33:40.626 Good boy, well done. 0:33:42.716,0:33:45.224 Point to the cat and then to the bird. 0:33:45.224,0:33:48.486 (Speaking Ukrainian) 0:33:48.486,0:33:49.955 Okay. 0:33:50.825,0:33:51.565 Nocking. 0:33:51.565,0:33:53.334 Nocking, oh. 0:33:53.334,0:33:54.363 (laughter) 0:33:54.363,0:33:57.533 Linguistically, Edic had made good [br]progress since moving 0:33:57.533,0:34:01.094 from the awful conditions in the [br]town in which he was found. 0:34:01.094,0:34:04.265 But the details of his past were [br]still unclear. 0:34:04.265,0:34:08.644 To get a better picture, James needed [br]to take Edic back to Myrni, 0:34:08.644,0:34:11.615 the town where he had been so badly [br]treated by humans 0:34:11.615,0:34:14.425 that dogs had become[br]his most faithful companions. 0:34:14.425,0:34:18.845 [music] 0:34:18.845,0:34:21.275 As he walked around the village,[br]Edic could remember 0:34:21.275,0:34:23.846 little of the details of what happened [br]to him. 0:34:23.856,0:34:27.656 [music] 0:34:27.656,0:34:31.306 But he could remember some of the [br]places behind the flats 0:34:31.306,0:34:35.325 where he had run and slept with the dogs [br]that had become his family. 0:34:35.325,0:34:40.795 [music] 0:34:40.795,0:34:45.307 As he continued, Edic's confidence and [br]memory seemed to be improving. 0:34:45.937,0:34:50.034 He wanted to show James the flat[br]where he had lived with the dogs. 0:34:51.394,0:34:54.145 But as we reemerged at the front of [br]the block, 0:34:54.145,0:34:57.145 we were greeted by a local delegation. 0:34:57.145,0:35:01.216 Somehow, the mayor and police[br]had been alerted to our presence. 0:35:02.926,0:35:07.876 They claimed that the story about Edic [br]was a lie and demanded we stop filming. 0:35:07.876,0:35:10.596 She knows this woman, she saying[br]that everything that she [br] 0:35:10.596,0:35:12.646 was told about this family is totally [br]wrong 0:35:12.646,0:35:14.936 and that's why you shouldn't film [br]anything here. 0:35:14.936,0:35:17.545 It was clear that something had [br]happened here, 0:35:17.545,0:35:19.954 but with the mayor and police's [br]vigorous denials, 0:35:19.954,0:35:22.954 it was far from certain exactly what. 0:35:22.954,0:35:27.115 However, as we were leaving the town,[br]James was approached by a local woman 0:35:27.115,0:35:29.975 who clearly recognized both Edic[br]and Nadia. 0:35:30.285,0:35:33.625 Despite the police's intervention,[br]she was determined to tell him 0:35:33.625,0:35:36.706 what she had seen when the children[br]lived in the town. 0:35:36.896,0:35:41.675 It was horrible conditions,[br]she never come in her flat. 0:35:41.675,0:35:45.145 There was fish, there was fish on [br]the floor, and the dogs living there 0:35:45.145,0:35:47.284 and just the conditions was absolutely [br]awful. 0:35:47.284,0:35:50.894 We have heard stories that the children [br]used to play a lot with the dogs 0:35:50.894,0:35:52.533 with the animals around the flats. 0:35:52.533,0:35:57.705 (Speaking Ukrainian) 0:35:57.705,0:36:02.083 She's saying that...she's saying that yes,[br]the children were good friends 0:36:02.083,0:36:05.925 of the local dogs and home, and stray [br]dogs use to come live in their flat. 0:36:05.925,0:36:08.776 There were always not less then three [br]dogs in their flat 0:36:08.776,0:36:10.814 and Edic was sleeping with them. 0:36:11.144,0:36:14.795 But could a young child really [br]live with dogs? 0:36:14.795,0:36:19.315 And if they could, how would this[br]incredible relationship work? 0:36:19.665,0:36:23.895 Animal expert Steve Fryer has worked [br]with dogs for over 20 years 0:36:23.895,0:36:26.646 and studied their very special bond [br]with man. 0:36:26.946,0:36:30.894 The relationship between domesticated [br]dogs and humans is really very special 0:36:30.894,0:36:35.246 and it's almost a primeval, urgent [br]feelings that we get about dogs, 0:36:35.246,0:36:38.234 and I'm sure they have about us [br]because they've been around us 0:36:38.234,0:36:40.084 for so many thousands of years and 0:36:40.084,0:36:42.834 it's been passed on through generation [br]after generation. 0:36:42.834,0:36:46.316 But how would he explain Edic's [br]incredible story? 0:36:46.826,0:36:51.166 I believe food was the issue and the dogs [br]were coming into the warmth and security 0:36:51.166,0:36:54.756 of the apartment and getting [br]regular food or irregular food. 0:36:54.756,0:36:58.276 So, they must have seen this young child[br]as a provider for the pack 0:36:58.276,0:37:01.777 and perhaps pushed his status up [br]much higher than if he had just been 0:37:01.777,0:37:04.685 a three-year-old child running [br]around with them. 0:37:05.435,0:37:08.406 Dogs are very quick to learn to [br]seize on an opportunity. 0:37:08.406,0:37:12.336 So, if there's free food source,[br]then it would be a very big bonus 0:37:12.336,0:37:16.294 in their thinking capacity for, for,[br]towards this child. 0:37:17.264,0:37:19.326 Edic, it seems, was lucky. 0:37:19.326,0:37:22.696 By offering the dogs food and shelter, [br]he in return 0:37:22.696,0:37:27.186 received the warmth and and companionship [br]that probably saved his life. 0:37:27.186,0:37:32.004 But after only two years with the dogs,[br]he had suffered serious consequences. 0:37:33.294,0:37:34.895 But what of Oxana? 0:37:34.895,0:37:39.455 She is now 19, but spent almost [br]six years living in a kennel. 0:37:39.455,0:37:42.936 She was found at eight, [br]almost the same age as Victor. 0:37:45.896,0:37:50.385 Would she ever be able to talk,[br]or would she, like Victor and 0:37:50.385,0:37:54.975 Genie before her, be condemned[br]to a life of silence? 0:37:54.975,0:38:04.916 [music] 0:38:04.916,0:38:09.146 Oxana is now 19 and lives miles [br]from the nearest town 0:38:09.146,0:38:11.845 in a home for the mentally ill. 0:38:12.445,0:38:16.255 When she was discovered at eight,[br]she couldn't even talk. 0:38:16.255,0:38:20.115 According to brain theory, Oxana would [br]have only three or four years 0:38:20.115,0:38:24.376 to learn language before she lost [br]the chance forever. 0:38:24.376,0:38:26.837 In this short time, Oxana made it. 0:38:27.237,0:38:30.487 She can now talk in simple sentences,[br]but she is haunted 0:38:30.487,0:38:33.715 by the memories of her terrible [br]past, and even now, 0:38:33.715,0:38:37.937 as this footage shows, she can still [br]revert to her old behavior. 0:38:37.937,0:38:45.196 [barking, howling] 0:38:45.196,0:38:48.636 My mom wanted to have a boy and [br]she had a girl instead, 0:38:48.636,0:38:51.506 and so she just threw me out and [br]put me into the kennels. 0:38:51.506,0:38:53.804 When I was small, the dogs would [br]breast feed me, 0:38:53.804,0:38:56.736 and later they brought me, [br]like when I was bigger, 0:38:56.736,0:38:59.854 they brought me what people gave them,[br]and they shared it with me. 0:38:59.854,0:39:02.324 I wasn't scared of them at all, it was [br]my home. 0:39:03.416,0:39:07.814 So what does the future hold for [br]Oxana? 0:39:07.814,0:39:10.887 The only thing we can do is to try [br]and correct her behavior 0:39:10.887,0:39:13.695 so she gets use to living in a human [br]society. 0:39:13.695,0:39:17.265 The best way to do it is to try and find [br]a proper occupation for her, 0:39:17.265,0:39:22.104 and it will focus her mind from dogs and [br]animals to some sort of useful occupation, 0:39:22.104,0:39:25.136 but she will never be [br]considered a normal person. 0:39:25.136,0:39:27.507 [piano music] 0:39:27.507,0:39:31.236 Found at eight, Oxana has [br]made amazing progress, 0:39:31.236,0:39:34.837 but like Victor and Genie before her,[br]it seems that her development 0:39:34.837,0:39:38.086 has come some way but will now [br]go no further. 0:39:38.086,0:39:44.483 [piano music] 0:39:44.483,0:39:47.775 But what about Edic, what does [br]his future hold? 0:39:48.775,0:39:52.907 The earlier children are identified [br]and something can be done about it, 0:39:52.907,0:39:55.717 even if it's just stabilizing their [br]environment, 0:39:55.717,0:39:58.717 the better it is for those children. 0:39:58.717,0:40:04.404 My sense is that the fact that he [br]was identified when he was four 0:40:04.404,0:40:06.946 is going to stand him in good state. 0:40:06.946,0:40:11.055 Linguistically, Edic's future looks [br]encouraging. 0:40:11.975,0:40:17.366 And what you're seeing in Edic is a,[br]a really substantial number of 0:40:17.366,0:40:22.206 words that he's now acquired over a, [br]relatively short period of time. 0:40:22.206,0:40:26.636 We're also, seeing his grammar [br]developing and it seems to be 0:40:26.636,0:40:29.074 developing more slowly,[br]but of course it always does 0:40:29.074,0:40:32.277 develop more slowly, and then [br]it would, it'll really take off. 0:40:32.277,0:40:36.167 I'm assuming that in the next [br]year or so that we, we would have a, 0:40:36.167,0:40:39.797 what they call a grammar burst, [br]where you get a massive number 0:40:39.797,0:40:46.545 of new structures and it looks to me [br]as if Edic is doing that on his own 0:40:46.545,0:40:48.555 without instruction. 0:40:48.555,0:40:51.056 And one would take that to be a very [br]positive sign. 0:40:51.666,0:40:55.405 But socially, he's likely to find things [br]more difficult. 0:40:56.805,0:41:04.214 In Edic's case, we probably have an [br]example of a child who 0:41:04.214,0:41:09.605 orientates towards the dogs because [br]being with them was actually 0:41:09.605,0:41:11.485 to his advantage. 0:41:11.975,0:41:15.804 I think it's impossible to underestimate [br]the impact that this could 0:41:15.804,0:41:17.856 have in the long term. 0:41:17.856,0:41:20.775 Do we observe him in the orphanage?[br] 0:41:20.775,0:41:26.145 You see, he attaches to almost anybody[br]indiscriminately, 0:41:26.145,0:41:28.675 and what is likely to happen is that 0:41:28.675,0:41:32.186 he's gonna be vulnerable socially [br]and I think his personal development 0:41:32.186,0:41:35.135 is what I would be most concerned about. 0:41:35.135,0:41:37.604 Edic is likely to suffer the consequences 0:41:37.604,0:41:41.414 of his early experiences for [br]many years to come. 0:41:41.414,0:41:45.166 But it would be wrong to see [br]feral children simply as hopeless. 0:41:45.166,0:41:47.315 [piano music] 0:41:47.315,0:41:51.716 We should look at these children not[br]with pity but with awe. 0:41:51.716,0:41:55.026 I mean, they're just, it's fascinating [br]that 0:41:55.026,0:41:56.906 you can go through something like [br]that 0:41:56.906,0:42:01.042 and that you would still be willing,[br]after what human beings have done to you, 0:42:01.042,0:42:06.105 that you'd still be willing to put your [br]hand out and touch a new person. 0:42:06.105,0:42:10.866 Faced with almost unimaginable situations,[br]feral children have come up 0:42:10.866,0:42:14.066 with the best strategies they could to [br]survive. 0:42:14.066,0:42:16.444 And for the last 200 years, 0:42:16.444,0:42:19.904 science has tried to understand the [br]mysteries they pose. 0:42:19.904,0:42:23.196 With Victor, Itard made the first steps, 0:42:23.196,0:42:27.026 a process that continued with Susan [br]Curtis's work with Genie, 0:42:27.026,0:42:29.576 and goes on right up [br]to today 0:42:29.576,0:42:33.366 with evaluations of children like [br]Oxana and Edic. 0:42:34.206,0:42:38.305 We are continuing to learn more and [br]more about how to help these children 0:42:38.305,0:42:40.116 and more and more about how [br]these 0:42:40.116,0:42:43.506 neglectful experiences influence [br]their brain, 0:42:43.506,0:42:50.165 but we're just on the very very very [br]cusp of being able to be helpful. 0:42:50.165,0:42:52.796 Because today, we haven't done a very [br]good job of that, 0:42:52.796,0:42:56.125 we just haven't understood the brain [br]and brain development in ways 0:42:56.125,0:42:58.804 that would allow us to be as[br]good as we can be, 0:42:58.804,0:43:00.446 and I think that that's changing. 0:43:00.446,0:43:04.546 And as we look to the future,[br]one thing is certain. 0:43:04.546,0:43:08.595 The story of feral children is far [br]from over. 0:43:08.595,0:43:11.134 I think there always will be stories [br]like this. 0:43:11.134,0:43:14.796 Really, as long as adults you know, [br]abandoning children, 0:43:14.796,0:43:16.576 leaving them to their own devices. 0:43:16.576,0:43:22.044 As long as, really, adult cruelty goes on,[br]then there will be feral children.