respond to this student’s post at the bottom The Adolescent Brain The first interesting fact t. Question
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respond to this student’s post at the bottom
The Adolescent Brain
The first interesting fact that stood out to me in this article was that the prefrontal cortex in adolescents is one of the last areas of the brain to develop which has several implications on the process of thought and decision making. During these years is also when the “pruning phase” is going on which is vital to the “use it or lose it” development of neural pathways. During this time the article suggest providing simple instructions to adolescents, teaching time management, and providing access to a wide range of hobbies.
Second, was that adolescents rely much more on the emotional area of the Amygdala for processing informational and decision making. This goes on to explain why most adolescents respond more emotionally to situations than adults. They tend to, act now and think later, due to these emotions. It is suggested to help by explaining the changes going on in the brain, and provide ways to deal with the stress of those emotions such as exercise and journaling.
Girls have an increased amount of grey matter and boys have an increased amount of white matter was the third fact that was quite interesting. This leads to girls thinking and being more efficient. While more white matter provides boys with more spatial skills. Providing gender specific activities and tailoring to their specific interests were a couple suggestions to help manage these traits. Specifically getting involved with volunteer and community services which can lead to development of leadership skills.
The fourth fact, and possibly the most interesting, was the change in melatonin release during the adolescent years. This hit home for me as I can recall always being tired in the mornings during this time and quite often falling asleep in class. The best suggestion was to have physical activity classes in the morning such as gym, PE, etc. This can allow the young mind to wake up by not being stagnant sitting in a classroom. Avoiding video games, phones, and tv before bedtime was also suggested to help with getting better rest.
Fifth has to with the damages of drugs and alcohol. Early use of these substances can lead to slower development of the hippocampus which manages the creation of new memories and long term memory. Early abuse of drugs can impair these functions early on and linger much later in life. Providing early eduction to adolescent about the dangers and consequences is suggested for reducing the chances of this happening. Looking for signs of abuse and trauma was also a suggestion, which makes an adolescent much more likely to self-medicate in oder to deal with the stress.
Overall, this article provided several eye opening topics and facts that were new to me. My biggest take away, is that it is very important to communicate and educate young adolescents about all of the experiences they are going through. Most of all, provide a safe place or home where they know it is ok to ask questions about things they are unfamiliar with.
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respond to this student’s post at the bottom The Adolescent Brain The first interesting fact t
