Language is what makes our species utterly unique. While all animals communicate, only we know how to talk. And it’s truly amazing how a child is born and, typically, manages to learn how to speak in just three years or so.
The example of a small number of children described as ‘feral’ – to mean that they were not socialised or given the opportunity to learn in the ordinary way – has shown researchers how important the years of early childhood are to language acquisition. Many experts believe that early childhood is a ‘critical period’ when the brain is best able to acquire language skills, with the window closing around puberty, after which it is impossible, or extremely difficult, to acquire full language skills.
Instead, the children who – for various unhappy reasons – were isolated in early childhood typically struggle to acquire language to a meaningful level at all, irrespective of their intelligence. However, in a supportive environment, they may learn how to communicate in other ways, with gestures, body language, and possibly some words and phrases to express their needs.
Photo Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-woman-and-a-child-sitting-at-a-kitchen-table-BdHthauUxlQ
