research with children deprived of almost all human contact suggests, for example, that our biological makeup sets time limits on our abilities to acquire language, and make connections for others. For seven years, three australian girls were imprisoned in their hone by their mentally ill mother. They were kept in complete darkness and never allowed to leave the home. Rescued by police in 2005, the girls have been in specialized therapy ever since. Reflecting research in other cases, it is believed that they will never fully recover.