The Importance Of Nurture On Language Development

The Genie video argues that nurture can have an immense effect on language development and verbal expression. Genie was an extreme case of isolation throughout the vital developmental years. She was deemed "mentally retarded" and locked in a room attached to a chair during her childhood. Her isolation caused her to have deficits in areas of motor development, walking, and language development. She never interacted with anyone and as a result she never learned how to verbally express herself. This case study tested the earlier accepted theory by Noam Chomsky that language is innate and if not learned before the child hits puberty then, it will never be attained. Researches saw a great opportunity to study Genie to further research and put the theory to the test. In the end, they found that the isolation …show more content…
As a physician 's assistant, I will interact with patients of all ages. I can provide the best treatment for my patients when I’m knowledgeable about some practices or decisions that occurred in his or her childhood. This is evidenced in the Genie story where scans showed that she had a functioning and relatively normal brain. However, due to her isolation and lack of stimulation, certain parts of her brain did not develop and this changed the structure and function of her brain. Having knowledge of family history and childhood experiences (nurture) helped the physicians determine that. On the other hand, some diseases/disorders can be genetic (nature). If a patient lets me know that there 's a history of a hereditary disease in his or her family, I can advise them on what steps to take to decrease his or her chances as well as develop a treatment plan to maintain the patient 's plan. In the physician 's assistant profession, it 's very important for the physician and I to be aware of nature and nurture related predispositions to assist the patient in the best way