Perpetual child

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A perpetual child is a person who is an adult in stature and age, but who is nevertheless perceived as incapable of independent living. These "children" are likely to live with their parents or overseers throughout their lives. Many people with developmental disabilities, such as autism and severe mental retardation are portrayed as perpetual children. In ancient Greece and Rome, women were portrayed as perpetual children. The Southern United States of the 19th century also portrayed the members of the African-American race as perpetual children.

[edit] See also

• autism
• child prodigy
• late bloomer
• love shyness