Barbara K. was referred in February, 1942, 1t 8 years, 3 months of age. Her father’s written note stated: 
First child, born normally October 30, 1933. She nursed very poorly and was put on bottle after about a week. She quit taking any kind of nourishment at 3 months. She was tube-fed five times daily up to 1 year of age,. 
She began to eat then, though there was much difficulty until she was about 18 months old. Since then she has been a good eater, likes to experiment with food, tasting, and now fond of cooking. 
Ordinary vocabulary at 2 years. but always slow at putting words into sentences. Phenomenal ability to spell, read, and a good writer, but still has difficulty with verbal expression. Written language has helped the verbal. Can’t  get arithmetic except as a memory feat. Repetitious as a baby, and obsessive now: holds things in hands, takes things to bed with her, repeats phrases, gets stuck on an idea, game, etc., and rides it hard, then goes to something else. She used to talk using “you”for herself and “I “for her mother or me, as if were saying things as we would in talking to her. 
Very timid, fearful of various and changing things, wind, large animals, etc. Mostly passive, but passively stubborn at times. Inattentive to the point where one wondres if she hears. (She does!) No competitive spirit, no desire to please her teacher. If she knew more than any other memberin the class about something, she would give no hint of it, just keep quiet, maybe not even listen. 
In camp last summer she was well liked, learned to swim, is graceful in water (had laways appeared awkward in her motility before), overcame fear of ponies, played best with children of 5 years of age. at camp she slid into avitaminosis and malnutrition but offered almost no verbal complaints. 
Barbara’s father is a prominent psychiatrist. Her mother is a wll-educated, kindly womwn. a younger brother, born in 1937, is healthy, alert, and well developed. 
Barbara “shook hands”upon request (offering the upon coming, the right upon leaving) by merely raising a limp hand in the approximate direction of the examiner’s proffered hand; the motion definitely lacked the implication of greeting. during the entire interview there was no indication of any kind of affective contact. a pin prick resulted in withdrawal of her arm, a fearful glance at the pin (not the examiner), and utterance of the word “Hurt!”not addressed to anyone in particular. 
She showed no interest in test performances. the concept of test, of sharing an experience or situation, seemed foreign to her. She protruded her tongue and played with her hand as one would with a toy. Attracter by a pen on the desk stand, she said: “Pen like yours at home.”Then, seeing a pencil, she inquired: “May I take this home?” 
When told that she might, she made no move to take it. The pencil was given to her, but she shoved it away, saying, “It’s not my pencil.” 
She did the same thing repeatedly in regard to other objects. several times she said, “Let’s see Mother”(who in the waiting room). 
She read excellently, finishing the 10-year Binet fire story in thirty-threeseconds and with no errors, but was unable to reproduce from memory anything she had read. In the Binet pictures, she saw (or at least) reported no action or relatedness between the single items, which she had no difficultyenumerating. Her handwriting was legible. Her drawing (man, house, cat sitting on six legs, pumpkin, engine) was unimaginative and stereotuped. She used her right for writing, her left for everythin else; she was leftfooted and right-eyed. 
She knew the days of the week. she began to name them: “Saturday, Sunday, Monday,”then said, “You go to school”( meaning, “on Monday”), then stopped as if the performance were completed. 
Throughout all these procedure, in which-often after several repetitions of the question or command-she complied almost automatically, she scribbled words spontaneously: “oranges”; “lemons”; “bananas”; “grapes”; “cherries”; “apples”; “apricots”; “tangerine”; “grapefruits”; “watermelon juice”; the wordssometimes ran into each other and were obviously not  meant for others to read. 
She frequtly interrupted whatever “conversation”there was with references to “motor transports”and “piggy-back,”both of which-according to her father- had preoccupied her for quite some time. She said, for instance, “I saw motor transports”; “I saw piggy-back when I went ro school.” 
Her mother remarked, “Appendages fascinate her, like a smoke stack or a pendulum.”Her father had previously stated: “Recent interest in sexual matters, hanging about when we take a bath, and obsessive interest in toilets.” 
Barbara was placed at the Devereux Schools, where she is making some progress in learning to relate herself to people. 

Case 6 

Virginia S., born Sptember 13, 1931, has resided at a state training school for the feebleminded since 1936, with the exception of one month in 1938, when she was paroled to a school for the deaf “for educational opportunity.”Dr. Esther L. Richards, who saw her several times, clearly recognized that she was neither deaf nor feebleminded and wrote in May, 1941: 
Virginia stands out from other children [ at the training school] because she is absolutely different from any of the others. She is neat and tidy, does not play with other children, and does not seem to be deaf from gross tests, but does not talk. The child will amuse herself by the hour putting picture puzzles together, sticking to them until they are done. I have seen her with a box filled with the parts of two puzzles gradually work out the pieces for each. All findings seem to be in the nature of a congenital abnormality which looks as if it were more of a personality abnormality than an organic defect. 
Virginia, the younger of two siblings, was the daughter of a psychiatrist, who said of himself (in December, 1941): “I have never liked children, probably a reaction on my part to the restraint from movement (travel), the minor interruptions and commotions.” 
Of Virginia’s mother, her husband said: “she is not by any means the mother type. Her attitude [toward a child] is more like toward a doll or pet than anything else,” 
Virginia’s brother, Philip, five years her senior, when referred to us because of severe stuttering at 15 years of age, burst out in tears when asked how things were at home and he sobbed: “The only time my father has ever had anything to do with me was when he scolded me for doing something wrong.” 
His mother did not contribute even that much. He felt that all is life he had lived in “a frosty atmosphere”with two inapproachable strangers. 
In august, 1938, the psychologist at the training school observed that Virginia could respond to sounds, the calling of her name, and the command, “Look())” 
She pays no attention to what is said to her but quickly comprehends whatever is expected. Her performance reflects discrimination, care and precision. 
With the nonlanguage items of the binet and Merril-Palmer tests, she achieved am IQ of 94. “Without a doubt,”commented the psychologist, 
her intelligence is superior to his....She is quiet, solemn, composed.Not once have I seen her smile. She retires within herself, segregating herself from others. She seems to be in a world of her own, oblivious to all but the center of interest in the presiding situation. She is mostly self-sufficient and independent. When others encroach upon her integrity, she tolerates them with indifference. There was no manisfestation of friendliness or interest in persons. On the other hand, she finds pleasure in dealing with things, about which she shows imagination and initiative. Typically, there is no display of affection.... 
Psychologist’s not, October, 1939. Today Virginia was much more at home in the office. She remembered(after more than a year) where the toys were kept and helped herself. She could not be persuaded to participate in test procedures, would not wait for demonstrations when they were required. Quick, skilled moves. Trial and error plus insight. Very few futile moves. Immediate retesting reduced the and error by more than half.There are times, more often than not, in which she is completwly oblivious to all but her immediate focus of attention.... 
January, 1940. Mostly she is quiet, as she has always worked and played alone. She has not resisted authority or caused any special trouble. During group activies, she soon becomes restless, squirms. and wants to leave to satisfy her curiosity about something elsewhere. She does make some vocal sounds, crying out if repressed or opposed too much by another child. she hums to herself, and in December I heard her hum the perfect tune of a Christmas hymn while she was pasting paper chains. 
June, 1940.The school girls have said that Virginia says some words when at the cottage. They remember that she loves candy so much and says “Chocolate,””Marshmallow,”also “Mama”and “Baby.” 
When seen on October 11, 1942, Virginia was a tall, slender, very neatly dressed 11-Year-old girl. She reponded when called by getting up and comping nearer, without ever looking up to the person who called her. She just stood listlessly, looking into spcace. Occasionally, in answer to questions, she muttered, “Mamma, baby.”When a group was formed around the piano, one child playing and the others sining, Virginia sat among the children, seemingly not even noticing what went on, and gave the impression of being self-absorbed. She did not seem to notice when the children stopped singing. When the group dispersed she did not change her position and appeared not to be aware of the change of scene. She had an intelligent physiognomy, though her eyes had a blank expression. 
 

Resume: cases 7 and 8