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    Genie - The Feral Child

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    Michael Zhang
    Genie was discovered at age 13 after being severely abused and isolated her entire life. She was nonverbal, could not walk unaided, and had the mental capacity of a 1 year old. She was taken to a children's hospital where researchers studied her development. Over several years she made progress learning language and social skills but funding for her care was cut. She moved in with her mother briefly then had unstable foster care placements, experiencing more trauma. Her primary researcher was later sued over the study, though the case was dismissed.

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    Genie - The Feral Child

    Uploaded by

    Michael Zhang
    233 views32 pages
    Genie was discovered at age 13 after being severely abused and isolated her entire life. She was nonverbal, could not walk unaided, and had the mental capacity of a 1 year old. She was taken to a children's hospital where researchers studied her development. Over several years she made progress learning language and social skills but funding for her care was cut. She moved in with her mother briefly then had unstable foster care placements, experiencing more trauma. Her primary researcher was later sued over the study, though the case was dismissed.

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    Genie was discovered at age 13 after being severely abused and isolated her entire life. She was nonverbal, could not walk unaided, and had the mental capacity of a 1 year old. She was taken to a children's hospital where researchers studied her development. Over several years she made progress learning language and social skills but funding for her care was cut. She moved in with her mother briefly then had unstable foster care placements, experiencing more trauma. Her primary researcher was later sued over the study, though the case was dismissed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    233 views32 pages

    Genie - The Feral Child

    Uploaded by

    Michael Zhang
    Genie was discovered at age 13 after being severely abused and isolated her entire life. She was nonverbal, could not walk unaided, and had the mental capacity of a 1 year old. She was taken to a children's hospital where researchers studied her development. Over several years she made progress learning language and social skills but funding for her care was cut. She moved in with her mother briefly then had unstable foster care placements, experiencing more trauma. Her primary researcher was later sued over the study, though the case was dismissed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 32

    Genie: the feral child

    Alexxis Wilson
    The Beginning
    Name: Susan Wiley

    Born: April 18th, 1957 (almost 61 years old)

    City: Arcadia, California

    Parents: Irene Wiley and Clark Wiley

    Siblings: Robert Clark Wiley, Dorothy Irene Wiley and John Gray Wiley
    Family Background
    Clark Wiley: flight mechanic in WWII → aviation after

    ❖ Married Irene forcing her to stay at home and beat her routinely
    ❖ Disliked children

    Irene Wiley: grew up farming in Oklahoma, left because of the Dust Bowl

    ❖ Involved in a car accident causing sight problems


    ❖ Became dependent on Clark
    Family Background
    Dorothy: 1st child→ born 5 years after marriage

    ❖ Died of pneumonia at 10 weeks

    Robert: 2nd child→ born 1 year later

    ❖ Diagnosed with Rh blood poisoning- died at 2 days old

    John: 3rd child→ 3 years later

    ❖ Healthy; slow in development→ neglected


    Early Life
    Genie→ born 5 years after John

    ❖ Signs of Rh poisoning, had blood transfusion


    ❖ Noticed congenital hip dislocation→ splint 4.5 months-11 months
    ➢ Splint caused her to start walking later
    ❖ Father thought mentally impaired→ cut off interaction with her
    ❖ Came down with pneumonia→ from 50% to 11% in weight percentile
    ➢ Malnutrition
    ❖ Pediatrician stated Genie was “mentally retarded”
    ➢ Kernicterus
    Clark’s Breakdown
    Genie→ 20 months old

    Clarks mother died from a hit and run accident

    ❖ Blames son
    ❖ Decided family needed protection from the world
    ➢ Genie needed “additional protection” being “retarded” → entirely hid her
    ❖ Quit his job and moved family into his late mother's house
    ➢ Shrine mother’s bedroom and car
    Childhood
    Clark secluded Genie

    ❖ Tied her to a toilet chair for 13 hours a day → function as straight jacket
    ❖ Could only move extremities and wore only a diaper
    ❖ At night, tied into a sleeping bag and put into crib
    ❖ Clark beat her when she made noise
    ➢ Also growled/barked at her, grew nails to scratch her
    ❖ Masturbate in socially inappropriate context
    ➢ Possible sexual assault → father or brother
    Childhood Cont.
    ❖ Meal time
    ➢ No solid food
    ➢ Father or brother spoon fed her
    ➢ Ate too slow, rubbed face in food
    ➢ Only time Irene could be with Genie
    ➢ Fed 3 times a day but often refused to feed her
    ❖ Not allowed to speak around Genie
    ❖ No tv or radio
    Childhood Cont.
    Forced John to abuse Genie

    ❖ Tried to run away

    Irene was threatened to be killed if she contacted anyone

    Clark promised if Genie had survived 12 years of age, Irene could seek help

    ❖ Clark was convinced she would be dead


    The Accident
    October 1970

    ❖ Genie was 13.5 years old


    ❖ Irene left Clark
    ➢ Took Genie to parents house

    November 4th

    ❖ Decided to apply for disability


    ➢ Accidently walked into Social Services office
    The Rescue
    Social worker knew something was wrong

    ❖ Guessed Genie to be 6 or 7 → reality 13.5 years old


    ❖ Assumed autism
    ❖ Immediately called police
    ❖ Arrested Genie’s parents
    ❖ Court order to take her to Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles
    Question One
    Upon finding out Genie’s age, social services called the police and had Genie
    dropped off at a Children’s hospital.

    Ethically, how could the finding of Genie have been handled differently?
    Los Angeles Children’s Hospital
    David Rigler: chief psychologist and therapist

    Howard Hansen: head of psychiatry and early expert on child abuse

    Rigler and Hansen took direct control of Genie’s care

    ❖ James Kent, expert in child abuse, examined Genie first


    ➢ Lead to investigation on parents
    The Media
    November 17th, 1970

    ❖ News reached major media outlets

    Clark refused to speak to public or media

    ❖ Nov 20th → Clark committed suicide by gunshot


    ➢ Left note for son, “Be a good boy, I love you”
    ➢ Left note for police, “The world will never understand”

    Charges were dropped on Irene after Clark suicide

    ❖ Told court she was unable to protect her children


    Examining Genie
    James Kent examined her

    ❖ Most severe child abuse case he would encounter


    ➢ Pale and malnourished
    ➢ 4’6’’ and weighed 59 pounds
    ➢ 2 full sets of teeth
    ➢ Distended (swelling) abdomen
    ➢ Thick callus and bruising on buttox
    ➢ Coxa valga in her hips
    ➢ Undersized rib cage
    ➢ Eyes could not focus further than 10 feet
    Characteristics
    ❖ Expressionless
    ❖ “Bunny walk”
    ❖ Hesitant and unsteady
    ❖ Extremely incompetent → mentality of 13 month old
    ❖ Could not
    ➢ Stand up straight
    ➢ Straighten her limbs
    ➢ Chew or swallow whole food

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvSMgi23F3o
    Characteristics Cont.
    ❖ Interested in objects more than people
    ❖ Afraid of cats and dogs
    ❖ Curious about unfamiliar sounds
    ❖ Antisocial
    ❖ No sense of personal property
    ❖ No physical touching
    Communication and Personality
    ❖ Non-verbal signals- the way she looked at someone
    ❖ Genie would push objects to make noise
    ❖ Angry → attack herself, never anyone else
    ➢ Would not stop unless diverted attention elsewhere
    ❖ Understood her name, some other names and 15-20 words
    ➢ “Stop it” and “no more”
    The Hospital Stay
    ❖ Examined by Jay Shurley→ Professor at University of Oklahoma
    ➢ Found not autistic
    ➢ “Mentally retarded” from birth
    ➢ High levels of emotional disturbance
    ❖ Susan Curtiss
    ➢ Genie was born average intelligence
    ➢ Abuse and isolation left her functionally disabled
    ❖ James Kent
    ➢ Small responses from puppets
    ➢ Genie became fond of puppets
    ➢ Became most consistent person to Genie
    The Hospital Stay Cont.
    ❖ Growing and putting on weight
    ❖ Collected objects
    ➢ Hoarded objects
    ➢ Colorful and plastic
    ➢ Beach pails brought her out of tantrums
    ❖ Became more responsive
    ➢ Nonverbal and verbal cues
    ➢ Paid attention when people talked
    ❖ Sociable with familiar people
    ❖ Started showing emotions
    Potential Case Study
    December 1970

    ❖ Rigler obtained a grant for $21,500 from the National Institution of Mental
    Health to start studies
    ➢ January 1971→ Genie was developmentally at age 1-3 years old
    ➢ February 1971→ 2-3 years old and some aspects 12-13 years old
    ■ Started to mimic speech sounds
    ➢ April 1971→ Genie attacked another girl; first time she took out anger on another person
    ➢ May 1971→ Mental age of 4 year and 9 months old
    ■ Earthquake hit Los Angeles and Genie sought comfort in cooks she befriended
    Brain Testing
    January 1971

    ❖ Neuro Linguistic testing proved right-handedness


    ❖ Hearing in both ears, language and non-language 100%
    ➢ Prefered non-language in left ear ruling out reverse in dominance for language
    ❖ No linguistic input during childhood
    ➢ Language function lateralized to the right hemisphere
    ➢ EEG picked up more activity ove right hemisphere
    ➢ Later found that high involvement from right anterior cerebral cortex → right hemisphere
    acquired language
    ❖ By May 1971 mental age was between 5 and 8 years old
    Foster Homes
    ❖ Stayed with Jean Butler
    ➢ Later told people Genie would make her famous
    ➢ During the stay, overcame fear of dogs, more talkative and took anger out on objects
    ➢ Started refusing visits with the “Genie Team”
    ➢ Decided Butler was not a good guardian
    ❖ Moved in with Rigler
    ➢ Intended to stay 3 months, stayed 4 years
    ➢ Met with her mother weekly
    ➢ Rigler became primary therapist and his wife would become her teacher
    ❖ John Miner (attorney) was appointed Genie’s legal guardian
    Observations: Behavior
    ❖ Redirected anger to verbal expressions
    ❖ Started paying attention to people talking to her
    ➢ Also responded
    ❖ Started nursery school
    ➢ Public school for mentally retarded
    ❖ Doing simple chores
    ➢ Ironing, sewing and meal preparation
    ❖ Mood significantly improved and seemed content with life
    Observation: Language
    ❖ By 1975 Genie could name most objects
    ❖ Struggled with grammar
    ❖ Spoke in short and choppy phrases
    ❖ Deleted sounds in words whenever she could
    ➢ Called her the great abbreviator
    ❖ Not able to fully learn a language
    ❖ Recalled past events
    ➢ “Father hit big stick” “father is angry”
    ➢ Did not understand death, asked where father was
    Non-Verbal Communication
    ❖ Invented her own gestures
    ❖ Acted out events she could not express in talking
    ❖ Communicate using pictures
    ➢ Draw them or find them in magazines
    ➢ Researchers became aware of Genie’s fear of dogs
    ❖ Researchers pushed Genie to learn sign language
    Loss of Funding
    ❖ Initial grant + one year extension
    ➢ Asked for 3 year extension→ Denied
    ❖ Fundings cut completely
    ➢ Research team did not address their concerns
    ❖ Research team decided Genie would move back in with her mother
    ➢ Irene had corrective eye surgery
    ➢ Moved back into the house she was abused in, Genie was 18
    Continuing Observations
    ❖ Despite funding being cut, Rigler continued to assess Genie
    ❖ Curtiss continued to regularly test and observe Genie
    ➢ Irene became distressed with Genie’s behaviors: lack of self-control
    ➢ Irene contacted California Department of Health 1975
    ➢ New placement
    ■ Lead to Genie being severely beaten for puking
    ■ Removed from this home in 1977
    ➢ Placed in another foster home but quickly ended months later
    ■ Genie wondered why she kept moving, thought it was her fault
    ■ Caused more trauma
    Lawsuit
    ❖ Curtiss finished dissertation → Genie: A Psycholinguistic Study of a Modern-
    Day “Wild Child”
    ❖ 1978 Irene was offended by the title and contents
    ➢ Sued Children’s Hospital, therapists involved, supervisors
    ➢ Sued researchers Curtiss, Rigler, Kent and Hansen
    ➢ Stated violation of patient confidentiality, invading Genie’s privacy and overworking her
    ❖ Genie’s mother stated Jean Butler was behind the lawsuit
    ❖ According to Russ Rymer, lawsuit was settled in 1984
    ➢ “The case never came to trial. It was dismissed by the Supreme Court of California with
    prejudice, meaning it can never again be re-filed.”
    After Turning 18
    ❖ Miner failed to update guardianship
    ➢ Irene took over without consulting anyone
    ➢ Butler continued to criticize and spread rumors about Genie’s condition until death
    ❖ Genie moved between 4 foster homes and institutions - negative impact
    ➢ Left her uncommunicative and depressed
    ➢ Saw Irene once a month
    ❖ Moved to a supportive foster home/adult home
    ➢ Allowed visitors
    ➢ Genie seemed happy and more verbal
    Currently
    ❖ Genie lives in an undisclosed location
    ➢ Ward of the state of California
    ❖ Communicates fairly well with sign language
    ➢ Only spoke a few words
    ❖ Irene died of natural causes in 1982
    ➢ Had gone blind again
    ❖ John only visited once prior to dying in 2011
    ➢ Gave interview stating he never read anything about Genie and how she was
    Discussion
    ❖ Jay Shurley thought Genie was “mentally retarded” from birth but Susan
    Curtiss thought she was functionally disabled because of abuse and
    isolation.

    ➢ What do you think, and why?

    ❖ What do you think would have been the hardest to teach Genie?

    ➢ Human interaction OR Language→ Grammar

    ➢ Why?

    ❖ Ethically, what could have been done differently with Genie’s case?

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