The Adolescent Brain

In this episode, Drs. Jenn and Mary explore changes that take place in the adolescent brain, including how rewiring fine tunes the brain. This process starts at the back of the brain and moves to the front, resulting in adolescents making decisions that are more heavily influenced by instincts and emotions. We discuss that the increased desire to socialize with peers as well as the increase in risk-taking behaviour are adaptive and biologically driven. We provide tips to help adolescents and caregivers with managing some of the challenges that take place and highlight positive factors associated with this developmental stage.

Resources:

• Dan Siegel – The Adolescent Brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O1u5OEc5eY
• Dan Siegel – How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_the_teen_brain_transforms_relationships