Victor of Aveyron

Victor of Aveyron
Oval head and shoulders side portrait of a boy without clothes. He has a medium length hair cut long at the neck, a receding chin, and gazes calmly ahead.
Victor's portrait from the front cover of the book about him
Bornc. 1788
Aveyron, Rouergue, France
Died1828 (aged around 40)
Paris, France
Other namesThe Wild Boy of Aveyron
Known forbeing a feral child

Victor of Aveyron (French: Victor de l'Aveyron; c. 1788 – 1828) was a French feral child who was found around the age of 9. Not only is he considered one of the most famous feral children, but his case is also the most documented case of a feral child.[1] Upon his discovery, he was captured multiple times, running away from civilization approximately eight times. Eventually, his case was taken up by a young physician, Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, who worked with the boy for five years and gave him his name, Victor. Itard was interested in determining what Victor could learn. He devised procedures to teach the boy words and recorded his progress. Based on his work with Victor, Itard broke new ground in the education of the developmentally delayed.

  1. ^ Shattuck, Roger (16 May 1976). "The Wild Boy of Aveyron". The New York Times.