Armstrong called the girl's condition "environmental autism." Danielle had been deprived of interaction for so long, the doctor believed, that she had withdrawn into herself.[/b]
Danielle had probably missed the chance to learn speech, but maybe she could come to understand language, to communicate in other ways.
So I read this whole thing, and jesus fucking christ is this sad. The two points that I have quoted are, to me, the most striking things about this type of situation (unfortunately, this situation isn't solitary - it's effects have a type).
First, environmental autism is a very strange diagnosis. I asked my sister (who is an early childhood autism specialist) about this, and she said environmental autism is more like a nickname for a condition that is essentially retardation due to neglect. Think about that for a second. It makes me want to puke, or hurt someone.
Second, one of the hallmarks of feral children is their inability to learn speech. Research has shown that humans only have a window of a few years to lay the foundation for speech. A lot of the other behaviors of feral children can be "corrected," for lack of a better word, but speech is a one time deal for humans. And as far as I know, most neglected children have trouble ever learning how to communicate. It is most likely that her communication will be binary - yes and no answers to questions like "food?"
And it's great to read that, despite all of this, her doctors have made some progress.
Stories like this are incredible maddening and interesting. Thanks for the info Johnny C.