Advice on Assimilating Jaycee

The kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard brings to mind the kidnapping of Shawn Hornbeck, the Missouri boy who was abuducted in 2002 at the age of 11, and found four-and-a-half years later living with his captor.

Hornbeck was featured in an episode of 48 Hours Mystery: Kidnapped.

His parents, Craig Akers, his stepfather, and Pam Akers, his mother, appeared on "The Early Show" Tuesday, to recall how their son assimilated back into life with his family, as Dugard faces the same challenge today.

Pam said when Sean returned to his family they had many questions for him, but learned to hold back to let their son speak on his own.

"We've learned that you just didn't ask some questions," she said. "You let the victim be comfortable enough to talk to you when they're ready and that could depend on who the person is."

And for Jaycee, Craig said, it's important her mother loves her and her children "unconditionally, no strings attached."

He added Jaycee's family should take the process very, very slowly.

"Just one baby step at a time," he said. "You can't get to the bottom of this overnight. It took 18 years to get to where they're at. It's going to take time to recover."

However, Pam said it is possible to return to a 100 percent normal life after captivity, as Shawn has.

She said, "If somebody met Shawn on the street and didn't know the ordeal he'd gone through, you would never guess it. He has become the typical 18-year-old and we are so proud of him."

For more on how Sean Hornbeck now views his captor, and to hear more of his story, click on the video below: