User blog comment:Paul.rea/Teen Wolf News 060214/@comment-6383956-20140604205919

You're right that saying Malia has the mind of an eight year is incorrect. Her brain would have developed but -- even being aware of her situation -- it would absolutely NOT develop normally. It's inaccurate to say she's "more mature" that her fellow characters -- in some ways, she would be. She would much more independent than them.

However, the emotional growth you're talking about would absolutely be stunted by her isolation. The emotional behavior we recognize as "mature" in humans comes from being socialized into it -- by interaction with our older family members and our peers. Malia has had neither. So, yes, she would have developed emotionally but not in a way anyone would recognize as "mature".

Furthermore, while she would have learned from her experiences, she'd be struggling to learn anything else. Like any words she didn't know when she was eight? She's basically a feral child -- a child raised by animals, of which there is some documentation. Feral children show a learning impairment, particularly when it comes to human language. And Malia was feral for *years* longer than any documented case. Of course, the writers have already neatly handwaved this.

But I will say, realistically, Malia would never have been permitted to just walk out of Eichen House (or wander freely about it). Most likely she would have been there being studied (because, as I said, she was feral for years longer than any documented case). I don't think it's likely she would have been placed in Eichen House to begin with, however. Researchers would have wanted to acclimate her to her home environment and would have homeschooled her themselves -- and eventually would have brought her to a research facility to continue teaching her. (As has been done with other feral children.) She would *never* be allowed to attend a public school, especially not so soon.

I will say, however, that since the writers are opting to ignore these basic facts about humans and maturity, this real-life information is only fan fiction.