Neglected Girl

Last week in class we learned about the neglect of children and how it effects how they grow up and become who they are. In particular we learned about a girl who was neglected by her mom and lived in a small room for years until she was rescued. This girl was living in a 10x10 room with a damp mattress to sleep on, and bugs infesting most of the room. She had parasites and bugs in her hair when she was found, and her vision was almost completely nearsighted because of only being able to see 10 feet in front of her for most of her life. After she was found, she was taken away by child services, which in my opinion was a good thing. According to the video, because the girl was neglected, her brain function was that of someone who was many years younger. Being neglected by her mother almost completely rendered this girl a vegetable in a way. Hopefully years of therapy and proper upbringing can turn her into a normal girl. This story really had an impact on me because of the nerve of the mother to not at least call child services herself. On the other hand though, this story really shows nature vs. nurture because of the fact that this girl had virtually no nurture at all. Without nurture this girl was basically a primate and this video segment really made me think how important nurture really is when bringing up a child.