Notes about Feral Child Genie

A Brief Overview about Wild Child Genie
by Traciy Curry-Reyes

The real girl from the movie was named Susan Wiley. Her team gave her the name Genie to protect her identity. Genie grew up in isolation with her elderly parents and an older brother. She had virtually no human contact. The mother, who was about 50 years old, was partially blind. She had been abused throughout her married life by her husband who was about 20 years older. They lived in Los Angeles, California. Most of the family lived in one room, except Genie. She was given a room in the back. She was kept in isolation. Genie was locked in her room and tied to a chair for most of her life. She was kept this way for 10 years until 1970 when Genie's mother decided to escape. She took Genie to social services. By then she was 13 years old. The social worker was horrified by what she found. She found Genie wearing diapers, walking as a toddler, and whimpering like a baby. She was also underweight. She could barely speak, and had only a couple of words in her vocabulary. She was taken to the hospital where doctor's were able to observe her behavior. The doctors and social workers were fascinated by her. They fell in love with her. They tried to see if she could catch up if she lived in a nurturing environment. Her parents were arrested for abuse and neglect. Her mother was soon released because it was proven that she was also an abused woman, who was unable to protect even herself. She had inhumane characteristics. She acted like an animal and she very rarely made noises. Social workers learned that she was beaten for making noise. She became known as the Wild Child. She attracted the attention of psychologists and scientist all over the world. Everyone wanted to see how it was possible for a human being to be raised this way. Her case was extreme. She was socially isolated for 10 years. The team began helping her, and pretty soon she was attempting to dress herself, and use the potty. She also added a little over a hundred words to her vocabulary.