Can childhood schizophrenia develop out of hospitalism?

Out of 59 childhood schizophrenics examined, 11 had fallen ill as early as within the first years of their lives. Seven of these had been confined to a hospital or a similar institution when the illness set in. Two other children were congenitally blind or deaf and, owing to this fact, were largely deprived of communication with their environment. It was possible to diagnose schizophrenia even though the patients were mentally retarded. It seems that lack of communication within the first years of life can not only produce mental retardation but also provoke childhood schizophrenia.