The ‘Wild boy of Aveyron’

This chapter discusses the story of the wild boy of Aveyron as he was to be known- the story of a wild child that would soon become the talk of Europe. The boy was taken to the local orphanage in Saint-Affrique where he was named Joseph. In order to further test whether he was a hoax or not, Joseph was tested on a number of rather crude experiments. There were also doubts as to whether he could have survived the harsh winters found in that area of France. In 1967 Bruno Bettelheim examined this case and concluded that Joseph probably suffered from a form of autism, although it was impossible to establish whether he was born with the condition or whether he developed it during his years of isolation. Of course, Joseph still did not communicate with anyone. Case studies of wild children such as Victor should make an important contribution to the nature/nurture debate.