feral child

(noun)

A child who is raised without human contact as a result of being abandoned, allegedly often raised by wild animals.

Related Terms

  • critical period
  • enculturation

Examples of feral child in the following topics:

  • Feral Children

    • A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age.
    • Peter Pan is a well-known example of a fictional feral child who is raised without adult supervision or assistance.
    • A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, and has no (or little) experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language.
    • Feral children may have experienced severe child abuse or trauma before being abandoned or running away.
    • A real-life example of a feral child is Danielle Crockett, known as "The Girl in the Window".
  • Elements of Socialization

    • Such children are called "feral" or wild.
    • Some feral children have been confined by people (usually their own parents); in some cases this child abandonment was due to the parents' rejection of a child's severe intellectual or physical impairment.
    • Feral children may have experienced severe child abuse or trauma before being abandoned or running away.
    • When completely brought up by non-human animals, the feral child exhibits behaviors (within physical limits) almost entirely like those of the particular care-animal, such as its fear of or indifference to humans.
    • Feral children lack the basic social skills which are normally learned in the process of socialization.
  • Deprivation and Development

    • Social deprivation, or prevention from culturally normal interaction with society, affects mental health and impairs child development.
    • The idea that separation from the female caregiver has profound effects is one with considerable resonance outside the conventional study of child development.
    • Feral children provide an example of the effects of severe social deprivation during critical developmental periods.
    • Feral children are children who grow up without social interaction.
    • In several recorded cases, feral children failed to develop language skills, had only limited social understanding, and could not be rehabilitated.
  • Child Abuse

    • Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child.
    • Child abuse is the physical, sexual, or emotional mistreatment or neglect of a child or children.
    • Most nations with child-abuse laws consider the deliberate infliction of serious injuries, or actions that place the child at obvious risk of serious injury or death, to be illegal.
    • Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation.
    • Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child.
  • Child Custody Laws

    • Child custody laws describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child.
    • Child custody and guardianship are legal terms, which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.
    • In most jurisdictions the issue of which parent the child will reside with is determined in accordance with the best interests of the child standard.
    • While the child is with the parent, that parent retains sole authority over the child.
    • Physical custody involves the day-to-day care of a child, and establishes where a child will live.
  • Child Care

    • Child care involves caring for and supervising a child or children, usually from infancy to age thirteen.
    • Child care involves supervising a child or children, usually from infancy to age thirteen, and typically refers to work done by somebody outside the child's immediate family.
    • The majority of child care institutions that are available require that child care providers have extensive training in first aid and are CPR certified.
    • In families where children live with one or both of their parents, the child care role may also be taken on by the child's extended family.
    • The two main types of child care options are center-based care and home-based care.
  • Child Rearing

    • Child rearing is the process of supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child.
    • Child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood.
    • Parenting refers to aspects of raising a child aside from the biological relationship.
    • These parents are more aware of a child's feelings and capabilities, and support the development of a child's autonomy within reasonable limits.
    • With Permissive or Indulgent parenting, a child's freedom and autonomy are valued above all.  
  • Parenthood

    • Parenting refers to the aspects of raising a child aside from the biological relationship.
    • Parents are more aware of a child's feelings and capabilities, and they support the development of a child's autonomy within reasonable limits.
    • They have no little to no expectation of the child and regularly have no communication.
    • Spiritual Parenting: respecting the child's individuality; making space for child to develop a sense of their own beliefs through their personality and their own potentials
    • It is important to realize that parenting doesn't end when a child turns 18.
  • Authority Patterns

    • The three main parenting styles in early child development are authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive.
    • Parenting refers to the aspects of raising a child, aside from the biological relationship.
    • Parents are more aware of a child's feelings and capabilities and support the development of a child's autonomy within reasonable limits.
    • They have little to no expectation of the child and regularly have no communication.
    • They provide everything the child needs for survival with little to no engagement.
  • Aging is Both Biological and Sociological

    • However, this child born in the United States in 1980 will experience social development characterized by many factors.
    • For instance, was this child raised in a family or an orphanage?
    • What kind of education did this child receive, public or private, what types of educational funding and other educational opportunities did this child receive?
    • Was this child born lower, middle, or upper class?
    • As a result, this child's biological age (how far from birth one is) may or may not match this child's subjective age (how old he/she feels and what responsibilities develop at what age).
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.