Emily Chan
A team of experts began the process of rehabilitating her. When Genie first arrived at UCLA, she weighed 59 pounds and shuffled with a strange bunny hop.
She also urinated and defecated when she was stressed. At first, she seemed only to recognize her own name and the word “sorry.”
Soon enough, she started showing signs of progress, learning to dress herself and use the toilet. She could sketch pictures to communicate.
She also performed well on intelligence tests and demonstrated a curious spirit. However, speech eluded her. It appeared that the ability to learn language was no longer possible past the ages of five to 10-years-old.
By 1972, the researchers and therapists working on Genie’s case were in disagreement over her treatment.
The goal was to reintegrate her into human society while also researching the ability to acquire and use language.
As a result, experts were divided, and each side accused the other of exploitation. Eventually, the funding for research ran out, and Genie returned to live with her mother in 1975.
Her mother was overwhelmed by the task, so Genie was moved to a series of foster homes. She was often treated poorly in foster care, which made her withdraw from society even further.
When she finally returned to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, much of the progress she had made was lost.
Today, Genie’s whereabouts are unknown, but if she is still alive, she is thought to be living in an adult care home in the state of California. She would be 66 or 67 years old.
