| December 2004
The Teen Brain
In the past, the teenage brain was thought to
be quite developed with just a few minor adjustments in middle
school and high school. We are now learning that this is far from
the truth. In fact, major brain changes are going on for students
in middle school and high school.
The frontal lobe is not very well developed
until the early 20’s. How does this affect teenagers? Immature
behavior and risk-taking come from an under developed frontal
lobe. Once the frontal lobe develops it can put a break on impulsive
behaviors. When students leave college at 22 and show mature behavior
we think they have finally learned their lessons. That may be
partially true but it is also the time when the frontal lobe is
better developed. A 22 year old brain thinks that it is dangerous
to drive a car at 80 m.p.h. A teenage brain thinks it is fun and
doesn’t think about consequences until they regain consciousness
in a hospital bed. Teenagers don’t anticipate consequences
and dangers well because the connections are not working.
The lack of frontal lobe development also puts
impediments to understanding concepts in school. Girls tend to
develop sooner and take school more seriously before boys. When
boys do begin to buckle down and “get it”, it’s
because their brain is working with them and not against them.
When the connection comes it can be quite sudden. A geometry student
may not understand how the concepts all work together and suddenly
it is quite clear. Yes, good teaching is important, but sometimes
the pieces of the puzzle just fall together. The brain sensors
were is place.
There are several things parents can do to help the brain develop.
Sleep is critical. While most teenagers get
only 7.5 hours of sleep per night, the teen brain actually requires
at least 9. But, teenagers want to stay up late. Yes, they do
because the brain composition is such that they are over stimulated
and melatonin kicks in later. Melatonin is a chemical in the brain
that causes us to get sleepy and relax. It is released later in
the evening in the teen brain than in adults. That is why teens
can honestly say at 10:00 p.m., “Gee, I’m not tired.”
They aren’t. It’s as if their brain has a short. Sleeping
for 9 hours allows the brain connections to develop at a better
pace. They should go to bed anyway and rest their brain even if
not tired.
Keep children safe by giving them consequences
when they act irresponsibly. Give them guidelines for responsible
behavior and teach them what consequences will occur if this behavior
continues. Adults have to make the mental leap for the teenager.
Adult interventions are the “training wheels” for
the teen brain until they don’t need them.
Math and music seem to be very valuable for
developing brain synapses. In addition, sleep, math and music
also improve logic. When the brain develops, the wires are going
every which way. As the brain develops, some of the wiring gets
streamlined and the brain can go from point A to point B without
all the side trips. Teen brains often think in scattered patterns.
It is difficult to simplify thinking. They come up with all these
wild ideas that seem to be illogical. As the brain matures, the
side roads disappear and the main roads take over. Studies are
being done to learn more about math and music and the effect on
brain maturity. It is known that students that participate in
music and take substantial math classes seem to do better in school
and seem to have fewer impulsive behaviors.
So, if your child comes home with green hair
and can’t explain why they did such a thing, or why they
glued on false eyelashes with Super Glue, it could be the frontal
lobe isn’t quite connected yet. It will eventually develop.
The more sleep a child receives and the more exposure to math
and music, the faster it may happen.
Mrs. Pytel
K-8 Counselor
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