Koluchova ( 1972 , 1991 ) reported on identical twins , Andrei and Vanya , whose mother died soon after their birth . When their father remarried the stepmother locked them in a cellar for five and a half years , giving them regular beatings . The father was absent from home due to his job . Discovered at 7 , the twins were underdeveloped physically , lacked speech and did not understand the meaning of pictures . Doctors predicted permanent physical and mental damage . They were given physical therapy and put into a school for children with severe learning disabilities and were then adopted by 2 child centred sisters .At age 14 their intellectual , social , emotional and behavioural functioning was near normal . As adults they are both married and have children and normal jobs , and they both close to each other
