The purpose of this 16-year study was to investigate the developmental progress of a group of children reared in severely deprived environments during infancy and early childhood in order to evaluate their adjustment to family, school, and community by age 15. The subjects were 31 children ranging in age from 1 year 7 months through 5 years 11 months who were placed in foster homes following a therapeutic program within the institution. The children's readiness for placement in foster homes was based on a demonstration of their capacity to relate to people with some emotional depth, a demonstration of their capacity for constructive effort through play, and a rating of mental health as measured by the "Flint Infant Security Scale" and the Pre-School Mental Health Scale. Data was collected from home and school records, measures of security, social maturity and intelligence, and responses on the Rorschach. Analyses of the data were made at ages 6, 9, 12, and 15, using the Security Theory of Mental Health. The results of the study showed that by age 15: (1) the group as a whole had developed a healthy capacity for in-depth affiliation with their foster families; (2) there was a three-year lag from the expected norm in the acquisiton of social maturity and a comparable lag in concept formation; (3) there was a one-year lag in school achievement; and, (4) the subjects emerged from common early intellectual functioning to assume a pattern which demonstrated functioning close to their own potentials. (Author/BS)