By Thomas Gull (University of Zurich), MedicalXpress, Image: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain, January 22, 2025
Children need stimulation and attention for the healthy development of their brains. Neglect can have serious consequences for children's health, as well as their ability to learn and form relationships.
In 1989, the images coming out of Romanian children's homes shocked the world. They showed children in cots staring blankly, sometimes tied down, and very clearly neglected. The state of these children reflected the state of Romanian society at the end of the communist regime under Ceausescu, which had left the country in tatters.
The children had ended up in these badly equipped and understaffed state-run homes because their families were too poor to feed them. "These children are an example of extreme neglect," says neuropsychologist Nora Raschle. "They didn't experience the close relationships and care that are so important for young children." The severity of the conditions made these children's homes an interesting area for researchers.
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