Media Release
Community Event
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, 7 p.m.
Magrath High School gym
Faced with the prospect of mood swings, impulsive decisions and
sometimes-questionable choices when it comes to risk taking, some
parents may feel avoiding their teenage daughter or son is the easiest
route to take.
Dr. Robbin Gibb urges parents, however, to take on the prospect of
short-term pain for long-term gain in their child’s brain development.
Westwind School Division will host a free, community presentation
on Tuesday, Feb. 25 by Gibb – of the Canadian Centre for Behavioural
Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge – titled ‘The Teenage Brain: Under
Construction.’
Beginning 7 p.m. at the Magrath High School gymnasium, Gibb will
provide parents with a better understanding of what is happening in their
child’s brain and how they can promote positive brain development.
Most parents seem aware of how important the first few years are in
a child’s development, she says, but there is little acknowledgement of
how equally important the teen years are for optimizing the future.
“Once parents know how important positive experiences are to the
brain they try to make sure their child has that kind of exposure,” Gibb
explains. “But in teenage years are another opportunity for brain plasticity
and to optimize development for future behavior. Many people think their
teens are capable of making all of their own decisions and choosing the
right experiences and I think that really puts the teenage brain at risk.”
Parental guidance is critical through this period of a child’s life.
“Although your teenager may look like an adult you can’t really
assume their brain is at a point where they are going to make appropriate
decisions,” says Gibb, whose area of research includes parental
experience and its influence on brain development.
Some teens manage to make the right decisions on their own
despite all the challenges they face including fitting in with their peers,
increased demands in school, pressure to be more self-reliant and
romantic desires. When one considers some of the choices available to
them could have a negative effect on their long-term brain development,
she says it’s clear some guidance is needed.
“It’s sometimes hard to be around them but this is the time they
really need your attention.“
Gibb acknowledge how much more we need to learn about the
intricacies of the brain and the impact of experiences on its development
despite the amount of research which has been published on the subject.
“We’re getting there, but we still have a long way to go. It is very
complex.”
There has been a lot of research the past few years specifically on
the adolescent brain and it should provide some promise for parents who
may be pulling out their hair in frustration.
“In what is now considered the ‘myth of the early years’ many
people believed that if you did not get things right for a child in the first
three years of life, they would face more struggles in academia and have
a lower success in life,” says Gibb. “It now appears that the adolescent
period gives us another window of opportunity to get things right by
providing supportive relationships and positive experiences.”
To parents on the wrong end of those mood swings and the like, it
might all seem like, well, brain surgery. Gibb says it starts with keeping the
lines of communication open with your teen and not letting yourself get
caught up when they seem unreasonably emotional – which is only
natural.
“Clearly one of the biggest messages is talk with them and listen to
what they have to say. Not just tell them what you think, but listen,” she
says.
Gibb’s presentation, which is expected to last about 90 minutes
including an answer and question period, is part of Westwind’s ongoing
commitment to bring in expert speakers on topics helpful to our many
partners in education across the school division.
To make these educational opportunities available to as wide an
audience as possible, every effort will be made to host them in different
communities across Westwind School Division.
For more information on happenings within the Westwind School
Division, go to our website at www.westwind.ab.ca or check us out on our
social media network through Facebook at Westwind School Division No.
74 or on Twitter at Westwind Division 74.
Craig Albrecht
Communications Officer
Westwind School Division #74
(o) 403-653-5631
(c) 403-330-6428