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Donald F. Starn, M.A.T., M.Div., C.P.S.

Impulsive, rebellious, style-obsessed, sleep deprived, non-communicative, risk-taker, irritable – do any of these words describe someone you know?

New developments in adolescent brain development may help adults better understand and more effectively deal with their teenager’s behaviors.

Until relatively recently, most scientists believed that the brain was fully developed by the teen years. Recent research, however, indicates that the brain continues to develop well into the mid-20’s.

Most of us recognize the importance of the early years when the brain is developing rapidly. Science is now showing that adolescents go through a similar period of rapid development during which a “pruning and strengthening” process is taking place in their brains. Brain cells and neural connections that get used the least get pruned away while those that are used the most get stronger. In other words, the more time your teen spends in positive, healthy activities, the stronger those brain connections become, while, unfortunately, the opposite is true as well.

From early adolescence through the mid-20’s, a teen’s brain develops from back to front. Those parts of the brain which develop first control physical coordination, emotion, and motivation. The part of the brain which controls reasoning and impulse control, known as the Prefrontal Cortex, is, as the name implies, near the front of the brain, and therefore develops last.

Why is it, then, that the teen years are those in which experimentation with drugs and alcohol, along with other high risk behaviors, takes place? One reason may be that the brain region that is in charge of making complex judgments, the Prefrontal Cortex, isn’t fully developed. As a result, better judgment is being undermined by those areas of the brain that involve the emotions and motivation which are more fully developed. Emotion and underdeveloped impulse control win out over sound reasoning and judgment. Sound familiar?

You may have noticed some of these characteristics in your teen:

• Difficulty controlling emotions;
• Preference for physical activity;
• Preference for high excitement and low effort activities (e.g. video games);
• Poor planning and judgment (forgetting to take negative consequences into consideration);
• Risky, impulsive behaviors such as experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

These characteristics can, to a significant degree, be better understood in the light of the brain research that we have discussed.

You can help your teen stay safe and make healthy decisions during this period of rapid brain development by:

• Talking, talking, talking. Keep your lines of communication open. With your new knowledge, you now may have a better understanding of your teen’s behavior and you can adjust your attitudes and responses appropriately. Remember, while your teen is capable of wise and thoughtful decisions, they are still in the midst of a significant developmental period where their reasoning and judgment capacities are growing;
• Setting clear limits;
• Staying involved in your teen’s day in and day out activities.

For more information, please call Prevention Plus of Burlington County at (609) 261-0001 or visit www.prevplus.org.