SINGAPORE: Some Things Only Happen In Movies
I was watching Disney’s Tarzan with my baby girl one day and it reminded me of this case study that I had read in one of my psychology textbooks when I was studying as an undergraduate.
The town folks at Aveyron discovered a young boy about the age of 12 years old wandering around naked. Covered with scars all over his body, his behaviour was like that of an animal and he was not able to speak. It is estimated that he might have lived in the wild since 4 years old after his parents abandoned him. His sudden appearance then gave researchers at that time a golden chance to study him and find out once and for all whether we are products of nature or nurture.
One of those who studied him was Dr. Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard, who was determined to teach the Wild Boy of Aveyron (as he was called) how to speak and communicate socially with others.
Despite his best efforts, the boy never managed to communicate or speak except for a handful of words even after 5 years of training. It was believed that either he was autistic or that he simply missed the Read more…
