<p>We learned about this in my Psychology class today.</p>
<p>Her parents apparently kept her tied to a potty chair with no socialization until she was 12 years old, when a social worker discovered her. It’s an extremely moving, disturbing and sad case. Do any of you remember hearing about it? What was your reaction?</p>
<p>I read a book about her called, I think, “Genie”, which was very interesting and sad. It’s probably still available. I believe she is still alive but living in an institution. There was another case in the news recently with similar details, can’t remember where, but it involved a girl who was discovered by the police in her mother’s home. None of the neighbors knew of her existence, even though she had brothers who were more or less being brought up normally. Sorry, I can’t remember anymore specific details.</p>
<p>dont remember that case but I still remember the Kitty Genovese case .</p>
<p>[Kitty</a> Genovese | The Psych Files Podcast](<a href=“http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/11/25/episode-36-the-myth-of-the-kitty-genovese-story/]Kitty”>Kitty Genovese | The Psych Files)</p>
<p>I remember the case–terrible, just terrible. But also terrible what happened later–the chance to do experiments on a “feral” child was too much for the scientists. She went from abused child to human guinea pig. Until the $$ ran out…nice to see that there is a foundation of some sort that pays for her care nowadays.</p>
<p>Genie was a very, very interesting case for development psychologists and those interested in language acquisition.</p>
<p>I cannot say that I agree that she was tested too much; at the time, it was thought that language learning could be accomplished. This would, obviously, have been an incredible thing for the child. In light of that, and also in light of the fact that her life once she was taken away from the team of scientists was a revolving door of abusive and/or fame-seeking foster parents, I have difficulty giving the scientists too much blame.</p>
<p>There was a documentary about the case, shown on PBS: [NOVA</a> | Transcripts | Secret of the Wild Child | PBS](<a href=“http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2112gchild.html]NOVA”>NOVA | Transcripts | Secret of the Wild Child | PBS)</p>
<p>Booklady-that’s what we watched :)</p>
<p>I think the scientists really meant well. But they’re scientists, not caregivers…it’s hard for scientists to remember that subjects have real human needs.</p>
<p>Yes, except that the “caregivers” after the scientists did a roundly worse job (as I noted before).</p>
<p>I look at it this way: the scientists thought (as was the prevailing opinion at the time, both in a general sense and specifically to this girl) that despite missing development in what was starting to be recognized as a critical period, she could recover to a normal functional level. If you were a scientist, thinking that, wouldn’t you want to push the girl, and give her a chance at a normal life? I sure would.</p>
<p>Obviously, it didn’t work - but hindsight’s 20/20.</p>
<p>What a tragic case. I remember that from psych class in college. </p>
<p>Why on earth was she returned to the care of her mother? That never made sense to me.</p>
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<p>As I recall, it was decided that the father had been the root cause of the abuse, and had been abusing the mother into going along with it.</p>