Most institutions try to do their best for the children. However, they seldom have the time, money or expertise necessary for healthy development. Despite best efforts made by caregivers, a parent is crucial for a healthy survival. Children have psychological problems including difficulty creating permanent attachments. Children are delayed in large and fine motor development.
Physical growth is impaired.
Without touch and stimulation the brain and neurological systems do not develop normally. This creates a variety of inter-related problems that can hurt a child's ability to learn, to think critically, and to control his or her own body. Those strong enough to survive the institution carry the wounds of neglect and abuse for a lifetime. Since my first trip to a Russian orphanage I have been haunted by the faces of a group of six toddlers, heads shaved, staring at me through the bars of an oversized playpen. For me they symbolize the abuse of basic human rights, and an incredible waste of human potential.