Privation is different from deprivation in that a child will not have formed any attachment and will lack almost all types of socialisation.
Rutter compared 111 Romanian orphans with 52 British children and a sub-group of Romanians who had only spent a few weeks in an orphanage. Their IQ was tested as soon as they arrived in the UK and the average was 63. In terms of physical development 51% of the children were in the bottom 3% for weight. They were assessed again aged 4 years and the average IQ was 107 and 90 for those who had been adopted over the age of 6 months. The younger the child was when they were adopted, the better their development.
Koluchova studies Czech twins who had been severely abused by their stepmother after their father brought them home – they had been fostered by a family member following their mothers death. They were rescued age 7, severely retarded with no speech and had a fear of adults. Aged 14 they had normal speech, IQ and behaviour and by the age of 20 they had an above average IQ. The twins were in normal development when they left the care of their aunt at 18 months so it can be said that any developmental delay was as a result of privation.
Reducing the effects of privation can depend on many factors, and some studies show that the effects are reversible, whereas others suggest it is not. It can depend on how old the children were when they were found, in relation to critical ages for aspects of development like language development. Also, it can be considered that in some cases (Czech twins) the children have other children for support and that they can form attachments with one another. It could also depend on the quality of the care given afterwards.