Dr. Sara O'Byrne:

The simple answer is that we cannot break down experiences into a quantum of time. Regardless of whether we are talking about someone who spent a day or someone who spent six months in a mother and baby home, the impact is still relevant and applicable. It is not about the time which someone spent in one of these homes; it is about the quality and nature of the experiences there. Indeed, children who experienced this at six months or younger are arguably the most affected because of the experiences around brain development and growth at that time. It is not true to say that we can break it down in terms of timeframe being used as a measure of impact.

On the unduly influenced piece, it is important to recognise that experiences will manifest in different ways for different people. How do we measure that? For example, we will have people who will have physiological or sensory experiences which are hard to quantify. We will have others, who will be quite rare, who will be able to narrate and recall their experiences. Both are equally valid in terms of impact. That is important to note. It is not the quantum of time.