Volume 3, Issue 1: December 2009

Teen Brains Wired to Make Lousy Decisions
But does that mean parents and teachers should just give up and not try to get kids to make good choices? Not at all. It just means we have our work cut out for us. What can we do? That is what the rest of this newsletter is intended to answer.

A "Typical" Early Adolescence
Focus Adolescent Services is the largest and most comprehensive website of information and resources on teen and family issues to support families with troubled and at-risk teens. The linked article is a great breakdown of the developmental characteristics — physical, social and emotional — of young teens.

The Men They Will Become
This excerpt from a book by Eli Newberger, M.D. provides a detailed overview of the topic of adolescence, specifically focusing on the process of growing up in young boys.

The Teen Brain: A Work in Progress
One of the practical uses for the newest brain research is understanding that "...programs aimed at preventing risky adolescent behaviors would be more effective if they offered practical strategies for making in-the-moment decisions, rather than merely lecturing teens about the behaviors themselves."

Adolescence is Tough on the Brain
This article explores a range of factors in adolescent decision making, and is a good summary of the research in the field including links to further reading. There are also posted comments from parents and teens.

Adolescent Brains are Works in Progress...Here's Why
Here is a background study guide to a Frontline PBS program. The program covers a wide variety of topics on brain development and behavior. The Frontline documentaries are often readily available in your public library or through inter-library loan. Or, see below to watch the documentary online.

What Were They Thinking?
This article in the New York Times includes a discussion guide for and a link to the Frontline program on teen brain development.

Kids Need Practice Making Choices
This article focuses on practical ways to help kids with decision-making skills. It's focused on parents, but it is a great resource for anyone who works with youth.

Teens Will Be Teens
School Library Journal published a short article linking brain development and behavior. The article is intended to "turn young adults into lifelong readers and library users. During adolescence, the brain develops more plasticity, as some connections between brain cells become activated, while others that are not used atrophy. It's a crucial 'use it or lose it' scenario."

Here is an article that connects teen brain development with behavior, and points out the implications for teen criminal justice: Adolescent Brain Development and Juvenile Justice (PDF)
It asks some key questions and provides a very useful bibliography on the subject.

Adolescents and Risk: Helping Yount People Make Better Choices (PDF)
A smart article pointing out the differences between teen and adult brains in making choices, and it draws some important conclusions: "First, bombarding youth with the facts won't help them make better decisions, and may actually encourage a less mature, riskier form of reasoning... Second, because adolescents' brains are not yet mature, exposure to major risks should be limited as much as possible." The article also includes a very useful page of intervention strategies.

Psychologist Wins $1 Million for Showing that Teenage Brains Really Are Different
This article about developmental psychologist Laurence Steinberg also has some very useful links to recent related news articles.