feral children
Raised without humans
Feral children are children who have grown up with minimal human contact, often raised in isolation or allegedly by animals.
The term appears in psychology, anthropology, and folklore: The feral child had no language when discovered.
Cases like Victor of Aveyron have fascinated researchers studying language acquisition and human development.
Feral here means wild or untamed, having reverted to an undomesticated state.
- unsocializedNot adapted to society
- untamedNot domesticated
- wildNot domesticated or controlled
- isolatedSeparated from others
- orphansChildren whose parents died
intervention · maltreatment · language acquisition · critical period · neglect · socialization · developmental delay · nonverbal communication · rehabilitation · nature versus nurture · survival skills · Romulus and Remus · trauma response · attachment theory · behavioral studies · cognitive development · Mowgli · jungle book