The Effects of Child Neglect

What happens to a child who grows up with virtually no parenting, love, affection or human touch? "Nearly everything we learn about being human—how to speak, how to walk, everything—comes from the people who raise us," Oprah says. "Today, we're going to look at what happens when nobody does."

Experts say we can learn a lot about our own humanity by studying children who have been robbed of theirs. Over the years, cases of severe neglect have shocked and appalled people around the world.

In March 2008, a Honduran boy named Jason was rescued from a small, dark room where he was kept for years. At just 15 pounds, he was the size of an average 2 year old, but shockingly, he was 9 years old.

These incidents also happen close to home. In 1997, Texas authorities discovered a 9-year-old girl living in squalor. Her name was Victoria, and she couldn't speak or make eye contact. At the time, she hated wearing clothes and feared cars, doorways and toilets.

Victoria was taken in by a foster family, and since then, she's learned to use the bathroom, dress herself and communicate using simple sign language.