I do not wish to incur the wrath of anyone else on here (as I know that internet forums are notorious for prompting unreasonable ire) but I felt that I should speak out about one particular issue.

I think there is a fairly thin dividing line between making legitimate insightful comments that have some academic legitimacy and attempting to act as some kind of academic ‘thought-police’.

My own view is that, as academics, we not only have the right to discuss all and any topics, but that right amounts to a duty to not only uphold freedom of speech but to promote it. In this sense I do not think any topic can be ‘out-of-bounds’ to legitimate academic enquiry and to act in way counter to this notion I feel amounts to an element of censorship. I also think that there can be no censorship that is ‘partial’ in nature and Mill raises arguments in support of this idea.

Mill offers four such arguments. The first is that: the opinion which it is attempted to suppress by authority may possibly be true. Those who desire to suppress it, of course deny its truth; but they are not infallible. They have no authority to decide the question for all mankind, and exclude every other person from the means of judging. To refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility J. S. Mill (1950), Utilitarianism, Liberty, and Representative Government, (pp. 104-05) (my emphasis)

Clearly, none of us can claim to be infallible, because that would, itself, be epistemologically counter-intuitive, so attempts to extend the knowledge in any particular field should be encouraged.

Of course my argument does not extend to deliberate mischief-makers or those who attempt to subvert freedom of speech by statements that actually show their opposite intent. Rather it is aimed at those who desire knowledge and seek answers to pressing questions.

In this sense I feel that not only is it legitimate to research topics that others may feel are ‘difficult’ in some way both by nature of their content or terminology but it is in fact such topics that are most needing of such enquiry in order to reduce the approbation surrounding such ‘taboos’.

Dear colleague,

I hope that 'feral children' is not a term you would actually use. It is extremely perjorative and explicitly associates vulnerable children with animals. I would suggest as alternatives 'street children', 'children in situations of extreme risk' 'neglected children', 'abandoned children', 'homeless children' or 'children who have been denied opportunities for socialisation'.

Sincerely,

Sue

Dear Sue, 

Yes, this is exact phrase what I'm exploring. Thank you for nice support and sharing various current terms describing similar phenomena. This is not a mistake but rather term feral children covers broader meaning of wild children, abandoned in the woods and survived in wilderness or on the other hand confined by parents and raised in extreme isolation. Such a wild boy was found in French forests in the nineteenth century. He became famous as Victor from Aveyron. There are also contemporary data from 1990 of feral child  from Ukraine, as raised by dogs Oxana. I know that these are horrible stories, but they still happen. 

Here is a selection of such cases from Russia (2008 - 2013)

http://ria.ru/spravka/20130910/962257375.html

Many thanks Dear Marina, 

I read in Russian too and thank you for valuable support. I'm collecting such rare cases from the whole world. 

Warm Regards, 

Beata 

Dear collega! I ' d like to draw your attention to the fact, that Oxana"s case is very uncommon and is very similar to what they call "синдром одичания" in child psychiatry. Wish you success in your study!

Dear Marina, 

Yes, of course that is true. Oxana's case is exceptionally rare and the child psychiatry is good thread for further explorations. We had in Poland few years ago case of imprisoned by parents young female with psychosis and children raised in total isolation in 50s. Thank you again for great support.

Dear colleague. May be you would be interested in the case of Genie, published by Susan Curtis in the 1970's, as well as in Kasper Hauser's famous story, which was published and became the argument for a picture with Bruno Ganz playing the role of Kasper. I am interested in the theme too. There is also a series of short documentaries I watched on TV, but I cant give you the references. If you happen to have them, please send to me. Best wishes

Dear Leda, 

I appreciate your contribution. Yes, these cases, especially Kaspar Hauser's case a well known and as you mentioned portrayed in the cinema. I know the movie by German director Werner Herzog. I found also data in media about Gene. Seems that Oxana (found in 90s.) is the famous recent so disturbingly regarded child. Thank you once again. 

Dear Beata,

One source which seems to be quite an authoritative and recent work on the subject is:

Michael Newton (2002). Savage Boys and Wild Girls: A History of Feral Children. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-21460-6

Best of luck with your research

Dear Tony, 

Yes, I'll check this reference. Thank you very much for support. 

Dear David, 

Yes, even if we are educated and sensitive people for all the manifestations of verbal stigma, such terminology as feral children exits in medical/ historical literature. I do not try to judge it from the perspective of today's human rights (or terminology spreaded by for e.g. AAIDD) but get insight into the original documents and the unpleasant linguistic symbols. I assure you that this is not the lack of my scientific knowledge or competence in special education and the human rights which causes that I'm looking for details, not necessarily accepted e.g. by Sue.

Dear David, 

I can agree that doubts are the right steps in science, so your reactions and comments are fully justified. Btw. we academics are much imperfect because too quickly arrive at own conclusions. Warm regards, Beata

I do not wish to incur the wrath of anyone else on here (as I know that internet forums are notorious for prompting unreasonable ire) but I felt that I should speak out about one particular issue.

I think there is a fairly thin dividing line between making legitimate insightful comments that have some academic legitimacy and attempting to act as some kind of academic ‘thought-police’.

My own view is that, as academics, we not only have the right to discuss all and any topics, but that right amounts to a duty to not only uphold freedom of speech but to promote it. In this sense I do not think any topic can be ‘out-of-bounds’ to legitimate academic enquiry and to act in way counter to this notion I feel amounts to an element of censorship. I also think that there can be no censorship that is ‘partial’ in nature and Mill raises arguments in support of this idea.

Mill offers four such arguments. The first is that: the opinion which it is attempted to suppress by authority may possibly be true. Those who desire to suppress it, of course deny its truth; but they are not infallible. They have no authority to decide the question for all mankind, and exclude every other person from the means of judging. To refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility J. S. Mill (1950), Utilitarianism, Liberty, and Representative Government, (pp. 104-05) (my emphasis)

Clearly, none of us can claim to be infallible, because that would, itself, be epistemologically counter-intuitive, so attempts to extend the knowledge in any particular field should be encouraged.

Of course my argument does not extend to deliberate mischief-makers or those who attempt to subvert freedom of speech by statements that actually show their opposite intent. Rather it is aimed at those who desire knowledge and seek answers to pressing questions.

In this sense I feel that not only is it legitimate to research topics that others may feel are ‘difficult’ in some way both by nature of their content or terminology but it is in fact such topics that are most needing of such enquiry in order to reduce the approbation surrounding such ‘taboos’.

Dear Tony, 

Well said and good point about the advisability of research areas in which topics are uncomfortable, unacceptable or even social 'taboos'.

Dear Tony, 

I think you highlighted also another essential issue I should mention: the censorship inclinations and such needs of contributors as well as giving me the cue, which dominated the discussion. So, I came to the idea that some contributors to this topic came directly from the advocacy ontologies, pragmatic research paradigms, with own demands. This is interesting phenomena as well, however poor for developing the thread. I can only regret that the discussion goes in the direction of terminology (and its censorship)  rather than in the direction of learning about the various lives and situations of feral children in different cultures around the world. Thank you for support. 

Dear David, surprise surprise you feel the need to respond! I was hoping you might have realised your previous error. The only over reaction here was from two very inexperienced 'researchers' and now you feel the need for personal abuse. I think you should show a little more trust in and respect for researchers such as Beata who clearly have a great deal more experience and knowledge than yourself based on her score 25.04 and yours of 0.42 (is that a typo!?). End of debate.

I have been searching an come on a PHd Thesis by Michael Newton London University on The Child of Nature The Feral Child and the State of Nature perhaps this will give those other learned people an insight into the above topic and provide the person who asked the question with some food for thought in victorian times children were referred to as Little Savages.

The term feral does not only associate children brought up with only animal contact but children deprived of any form of human contact nurturing love  and interaction. This distorts development which results in them developing behaviours from the closest contact they know be it birds. Wolves gorillas. Many films touch on it real and imaginery people have written case studies and articles on same feral as a term of expression is no worse pen better than calling some one a lunatic as we become more political correct in our terminology we become angrier with each other call a spade a spade not a shovel. Terminology used describes the observations of the time sure downs syndrome children were called Mongols then handicapper or disabled then intellectually disabled now the are called trichromosome 21 sufferers.   This site is about research speaking to our colleagues in a dignified manner not about behaving ourselves in a feral manner to each other. Irish were once and some still are labelled drunkards and lazy nonverbal leprechauns and other terms have been used if I spent all day being offended by misrepresentations on my personal and cultural background I would never take time to think observe and learn within this academic network

Dear Georgina, 

Thank you for contribution to this topic. I see that language and passed terminology is raising more hot reactions and awareness than stories. I agree about the evidences of children raised by various animals. Have you found perhaps sources in your country of current feral children "prisoned" by own parents and raised in total isolation ?

Dear All, 

Even RG is rich is publications on the topic of feral children. I found this morning valuable article: 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232419212_Feral_and_isolated_children_Historical_review_and_analysis

Article Feral and isolated children: Historical review and analysis.

I have this example of an elephant to be turned into a person - Szilamandee.

Could it help?

Dear Otto, 

Thank you for support. I must say, that I did not take into account previously such unusual case, as options in the discussion. Actually, I am interested in rare cases of extreme isolation in which they were/are brought up children around the world called feral children, who on one hand were/are abandoned by their parents or imprisoned by them. Thank you anyway.

Beat a as of yet I am unaware I know there has been serious cases of child neglect and a lot of issues around church and state behaviour. There are probably bably some cases as yet unrevealedg

yes, there is a long literature, with the "wild boy of Aveyron". I do not know whether there is a comprehensive monograph. The question is important in the context of autism theory and the concept of imprintable phases.