Can You Believe a Child Could Develop This Issue?
By celticeagle
@celticeagle (193120)
Boise, Idaho
August 28, 2026 9:43pm CST
I have been following the "House of Horrors" and the Siter family. 16 children living(barely) in deplorable conditions. I wonder how long they have been living in these conditions and what else may have been going on. They hadn't been going to school and hadn't had any socialization. Their bodies showed lack of nutrition.
A forensic psychologist noted that these type of cases can lead, in extreme cases, to what is called psychosocial dwarfism, or deprivational dwarfism. This is were the body is deprived of nutrition for long enough that certain hormones stop being produced. The body stops growing and even begins to shut down. This is caused from extreme trauma and neglect.
How mad and upset does this get you? For me, alot. I had such an idealic childhood. What a happy time. It should be this way for all children. Not these. Just the extreme opposite.
What are your thoughts?
2 people like this
3 responses
@garymarsh6 (24211)
• United Kingdom
29 Aug
That is true child abuse I hope they have been saved from these atrocious conditions.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (193120)
• Boise, Idaho
31 Aug
I hope they are being taken good care of now. Better than another family of kids a few years ago where their foster families were as bad as their parents had been.
1 person likes this
@Aansh13 (11454)
• New Delhi, India
29 Aug
Stories like this are heartbreaking because children are completely dependent on the adults around them for their safety, health, and well-being. When that trust is violated through severe neglect or abuse, the effects can last a lifetime, both physically and emotionally.
What strikes me most is how many warning signs seem to have been missed over the years. Lack of schooling, isolation, poor nutrition, and unhealthy living conditions don't usually happen overnight. It makes you wonder how long the children endured those circumstances before help finally arrived.
I can understand why this makes you angry, especially when you compare it to a happy and supportive childhood. Every child deserves love, care, education, and the chance to grow up feeling safe. Cases like this are a reminder of how important it is for communities, schools, healthcare workers, and neighbors to pay attention when something seems wrong.
The encouraging part, if there is one, is that these children were eventually found and given a chance at a better future. Recovery won't be easy, but at least they now have an opportunity to receive the care and support they should have had all along.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (193120)
• Boise, Idaho
31 Aug
You would think that in a small community like that some protocol would have kicked in where they would send a visiting nurse out to check on the babies after so many were being born so closely together.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (193120)
• Boise, Idaho
31 Aug
And all children should feel safe and loved.
1 person likes this
