Reflection Paper: The Wild Child

By: Dave M. Asuncion

Does Victor have a disability? If yes, what is it? Give evidence to your answer.

I reckon that Victor has quite a few disabilities. When he was examined by Doctor Jean-Marc Itard in
the National Institute for the Deaf-Mutes, they didn’t find any abnormalities in his physical body.
However, they have found out that he is indifferent to loud noises but hears tiny sounds from nature as
it is shown and mentioned that he is apathetic about the loud banging sound of the door, yet he turned
around when a nut cracked behind him. As the examination gradually furthers, they discovered that
Victor has a disability in terms of intellectual and social development, especially in the aspect of
language and social ability due to his isolation from people and civilization, as he was suspected to be
abandoned by his parents in the woods, and some receipts of that are: he never cried despite the ill
and unjust treatment he experienced in the institute, he has trouble responding to other people, and he
does not know how to speak and think clearly.

b. Should Itard be called the Father of Special Education? Why or why not?

People back in time believed that children with mental problems were unable to learn. They were
branded as idiots, dumb, and in no way part of society. Despite the fact that Itard failed to bring back
Victor into normalcy, he was the first person who believed that these people can still improve, and their
disabilities can be overcome by means of educating them. Itard’s work with Victor opened numerous
discussions which led to a lot of theories and enlightenment; it became clear that there is a certain
period in a child’s development that is critical to their progress. It has also been known that environment
has a correlation with the development of a child.

In a nutshell, Itard should be called the Father of Special Education because he informed the world of
the notion that these specially-abled children have the ability to learn, they just require special treatment
and education for them to catch up or develop in their phase. Moreover, his methods and techniques
of educating and treating specially-abled children are still used today in both special education and
Montessori schools worldwide.

c. If you were Itard, and Victor is “discovered” in the present times, how would you provide help to
Victor?

In this epoch, numerous discoveries have emerged and the advancement of technology is rapid and
rampant. The people of modern times are equipped with relevant knowledge, methods, information,
and techniques on how to properly educate and treat a person with a disability. If I were Itard, I will help
Victor by identifying his situation using the tools and techniques we have now. After identifying the
issue, I will formulate solutions that would be beneficial for Victor. If Victor turned out to have an
intellectual and social disability like the one in the movie, I will teach him the basics of writing, speaking,
and socializing. Enrolling him in schools that offer special education can also be an option. If he can’t
learn how to speak, I can surrender him to an institution or organization that teaches sign language. In
that way, despite his incapability to utter words he can still communicate and express his sentiment to
other people effectively.