3/18/2015
The Developing
Adolescent Brain:
Implications for
School Counselors
Terence J. Houlihan
UFT Counselors Conference
March 14, 2015
Adjunct Faculty, CUNY Lehman
Houlihan Educational Consultants
www.surviveyourteens.com
[email protected]
Some initial thoughts
o
o
Data and observations, not
judgments
There’s always
exceptions…speaking in
generals
o
This is not the “worst”
generation
o
Children and teens have the
capacity to be resilient
o
The word, “adolescence.”
Transitions in Environment
Puberty
Middle School > High School
High School > College
Disconnecting from parents
Seeking acceptance within peer groups
Dating/Romantic Relationships
Chemical substances
Increasing responsibilities at home
Technology/Media
Driving
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Developmental Theories
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Piaget
Erikson
Identity
Cognitive Distortions in Adolescence
Egocentrism & Elkind
Imaginary audience
Personal fable
What are we really talking about?



Size
Parts
Myths
◦
◦
◦
◦
Energy use
Learning
Cerebellum
Left/right
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Limbic System
Hypothalamus
Releases hormones
Amygdala
Emotions
Hippocampus
memory
Hypothalamus
Releases hormones related to
Sleep
Anger and
During puberty into early adulthood, a male’s
hypothalamus will grow
female’s.
twice
as large as a
Amygdala
Center for emotions, emotional behavior,
and motivation
o Connections between PFC and amygdala
are weak
o As teens age, the volatility wears off,
because they use more of the PFC, but
advanced emotions like empathy,
forgiveness and humility need to be
modeled.
o
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Hippocampus



Short term memory
Declarative memory
Implicit memory
Pre-Frontal Cortex
CEO of the brain
 Planning
 Time Management
 Organization
 Working memory
 Metacognition
 Self-regulation
 Task initiation
 Flexibility
 Mood modulation
PFC is among the last parts of the brain to fully
develop (Ramowski & Nystrom, 2007).
Executive skills in school
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Executive Skills





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We have to show them, again, and again
School-wide policy
Classroom lessons
Groups
Individual sessions
Referrals
Dopamine promotes




Pleasure
Curiosity
Attention
Motivation
Dopamine is released by



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

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Movement
Music
Being read to
Humor
Optimism
Choices being offered
Connecting with others
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But the most powerful
dopamine release happens when


Making correct predictions
Achieving challenges
Body Language
Sleep
National Sleep Foundation… “Sleep in America,” 2006

What is optimal sleep time for 13-18 year olds?

20% get nine or more while 60% get less than 8 hours

So, 53% nap on weekdays and 50% drink 3 or more
caffeinated beverages per day.

ADHD PET Scans, Judith Owens, MD

Minnesota Schools
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2011 Sleep and Technology:
13-18 year-olds
Within one hour of falling asleep…

86% are watching TV

77% are on computers

65% are texting on smartphones

30% are playing video games

20% are woken from their smartphones
Approaches

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Strengths-based
Solution-focused
Balance between educational and person-centered
Caution with Cognitive approaches for tweens
Behavioral
Systems
Copyright statement
© 2011 by Terence J. Houlihan, MS Ed, CRS
All rights reserved. No part of this
document may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without prior
written permission of Terence J. Houlihan.
You may contact the author at
[email protected] for permission.
7
RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS
Books
Bradley, M., & Giedd, J. Yes, Your Teen is Crazy! Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind.
Harbor Press, Gig Harbor, WA: 2002.
Brizendine, Louann, MD. The Male Brain. Three Rivers Press, NY: 2011.
Brizendine, Louann, MD. The Female Brain. Morgan Road Books, NY: 2006.
Bronson, P.O., and Merryman, Ashley. Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children. Twelve, New
York, NY: 2009.
Brown P., Roediger H. and McDaniel A. Make it Stick; The Science of Successful Learning. Harvard
University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2014.
Carskadon, M.A. (Editor). Adolescent Sleep Patterns: Biological, Social, and Psychological
Influences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2002.
Crawford, Glenda. Brain-Based Teaching with the Adolescent Learning in Mind. Corwin Press,
Thousand Oaks, CA: 2007.
Dawson, Peg & Guare, Richard. Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents. Guilford Press, New
York, NY: 2004.
Jensen, F. E., and Nutt, A. E. The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising
Adolescents and Young Adults. HarperCollins, New York, NY: 2015.
Simmons, Rachael. Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. Harcourt Inc., New York,
NY: 2002.
Walsh, David. Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and
Your Teen. Free Press, New York, NY: 2004.
Wang, Sam. Welcome to Your Child's Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College.
Bloomsbury, New York, NY: 2011.
White, Adam & Swartzwekder, Scott. What Are They Thinking?: The Straight Facts about the RiskTaking, Social-Networking, Still-Developing Teen Brain. W.W. Norton, New York, NY: 2013.
Articles
Houlihan, Terence J., and Eileen C. Houlihan. "The Adolescent Brain." School Counselor 49.2 (2011):
16-19. Print.
Web sites
www.nida.nih.gov
National Institute on Drug Abuse
http://www.positscience.com/human-brain
Excellent resource on the mechanics of the brain
http://www.cyfernet.org/index.php?c=2
Information on the enhancement of social
reduction of risk behaviors among youth.
www.sleepfoundation.org
National Sleep Foundation
http://www.nimh.nih.gov
National Institute on Mental Health
http://www.aacap.org/
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
http://site.educ.indiana.edu/Default.aspx?alias=site.educ.indiana.edu/cafs
Center for Adolescent and Family Studies, Indiana University
http://www.learner.org/courses/neuroscience/index.html
Neuroscience and the Classroom
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/
PBS’ in-depth look at the latest in neuroscience and adolescent development
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text
National Geographic’s online magazine
http://faculty.bucks.edu/specpop/studyskills.htm
All things study skills-related
Speaker Contact:
Terence Houlihan, M.S.Ed., C.R.S.
Houlihan Educational Consultants
“Making Sense of Adolescence”
914-346-5167
www.surviveyourteens.com
email: [email protected]
competency and the