Feral

You’ve probably heard the term “feral” associated with animals, specifically feral cats. When we think of a feral animal we think of an animal that is undomesticated, untrained, etc….basically a wild animal. However, would you ever think to apply this word to a child? Unfortunately, this is term that can be used when describing more and more children as they enter our school systems. In the book What Happened to You, Dr. Bruce Perry describes children as coming from “extremely neglectful backgrounds” as being feral. These children come to school lacking basic needs to function socially. Some issues we see with these students are that they are not toilet trained, they cannot use utensils, and they have limited language skills. When you place them in a “general” classroom they appear wild in comparison with their classmates. What is a school to do with these “feral” children? 

As I served as a principal, the term “feral” came to be one that was used to describe students more and more often. As kindergarteners started school it became a more common occurrence that they were coming wearing pull ups. Parents were expecting the school to potty train their child. Teachers were expected to stop instruction and help with toileting needs. Going to watch new kindergarteners in the cafeteria on the first days of school was interesting as well. Many did not know how to eat with a fork and you would often see them using their hands to eat… even foods like spaghetti, baked beans, or salads. They would line up to go back to class and many would have food smeared all over their faces and hands. Most of these students would catch on in time; however, more and more often we would see students who would not. 

Dr. Perry explained that “the longer you spend in a deprived developmental environment, the harder it will become to recover” which explains why some of these students were not making progress. Some of the more extreme cases come to mind as I write this post…. a first grader who spoke very little and when he did it was hard to understand. He came to school extremely dirty. His body was dirty, clothes, shoes, everything. At lunch, he still ate with his hands… it was more of a cramming food into his mouth. He had no social skills to interact with his classmates or the adults in the building. As he had gotten older, this began to lead to increased frustration and aggression as a result. He would often hit or kick classmates or staff for no apparent reason. He ran around the classroom and sometimes eloped from the room. He would often just sit and make loud noises… screaming, banging on things, yelling out random sounds,etc. By the end of first grade, he still could not write his name and lacked the large majority of basic skills expected to move on to the next grade. However, he had been placed in special education, so he moved on and these behaviors continued. 

Over the years, we learned a lot about this student’s home life and family which led to many DCS referrals (which did nothing). What we learned also confirmed the neglect that we all suspected over the years. The work the school staff focused on with him often revolved around the most basic of skills… how to write his name, how to look at someone and ask a question, or how to eat food appropriately. He missed so much instruction during his first two years of school that he was extremely far behind. In second grade, his frustration and aggression continued to increase. His teacher spent the first weeks of school crying… crying daily. She is an excellent teacher, but this student was such an extreme case that she wasn’t sure what to do with him. 

Unfortunately, there have been several other students that can fit the description of being “feral.” A kindergartener at the age of seven, yes seven. He had never been away from home. He was not potty trained and wore pull ups that he would refuse to change which led to him sitting in his own feces for hours. His teeth had rotted out of his mouth and you could only see his gums as he waited for his adult teeth to grow. A third grader, who for years, had wreaked havoc in the school with her screaming, crying, and aggression. A second grader who you could not understand at all when he spoke in spite of receiving speech services since kindergarten. He was completely overwhelmed in the classroom and often became frustrated and aggressive. These students all had one thing in common… when you looked back to their formative years as babies and toddlers they had been significantly neglected. Parents on drugs, parents incarcerated, domestic violence, homelessness, parental mental health issues, or some combination of these are the reasons for neglect. 

These situations are becoming more and more prevalent in our society today. More and more students come to school each year suffering from the effects of neglect, so how are schools handling the needs of these students? My quick answer is that they are not. Schools are not equipped to deal with the extreme needs of these students. Teachers are not trained to deal with the extreme needs of these students. How can we expect teachers to teach the standards of their grade level while also working to address toileting needs, teaching a student to eat, or addressing the extreme behavior issues that result from this level of neglect? The students who come to us experiencing extreme neglect need help. Schools are generally set up to be calming and predictable; however, these students often feel better when there is chaos. That is what they are used to, that is what they know, and this is often why we see such extreme behaviors. The students who have been neglected are suffering, but in turn, this leads to ALL students suffering. When these types of behaviors are not addressed, everyone suffers.