No, the boys may not have been abused and it may not be the parents fault. Google Encopresis - it may be the result of a medical issue. And yes, it can be awful for the children because the public thinks of them as "disgusting" or "mal-adjusted" or "mentally handicapped". People do not want their children around these "disgusting" kids - as evidenced by one other post on this topic.
My son, age 11, is not "disgusting", "mal-adjusted" or "mentally handicapped". He is a charming, funny, outgoing and extremely intelligent boy. And he has encopresis. He is not what most would call potty trained but it isn't for lack of trying. We have both cried over this thousands of time. He is seen by a pediatrician and we manage it. I homeschool him because of the lack of understanding in the school system. Because of homeschooling he has not had the ridicule that other children with this illness have had - and believe me, it is way more common than most would believe. As a result, my son does not have the poor self-esteem to the same extent as some others. We have tried very hard to educate people without putting my son in the limelight. Please educate yourselves on encopresis before you judge these children. It is a heartbreaking illness that no parent or child afflicted with it dares talk about.
