Adolescence

Luton Child Educational Psychology Service

September 2024

1
 Aims of the Session
• What is adolescence? To consider the
biological psychological social and intellectual
changes
• How do we apply our understanding of
adolescent development in the classroom and
interactions with students?

2
 Before we start…

• Keep yourself safe, all sharing is by invitation

• Need to respect each others experiences and views
• Need for non-judgmental approach to each other,
ourselves, the young people and their families
• Need to take time out
• Confidentiality
• Time boundaries
 Adolescence Quiz
A What does adolescence mean?
1. Terrible teens
2. The transitional stage of physical and mental human development that occurs between childhood
and adulthood.
3. The time when puberty occurs.
4. 13 to 18 years.

B When was the first “teenager”

1. 1880
2. 1920
3. 1950
4. 1970

C Can you identify this quote: Youth is full of sport, age's breath is short; youth is nimble, age is lame;
Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold; Youth is wild, and age is tame
1. Shakespeare
2. Graham greene
3. Mark twain
4. Samuel pepys
5. Charles dickens

4
What are the developmental tasks
of adolescence?
• Physical
• Emotional
• Independent skills
• Social/cultural

• Discuss in small groups what these tasks are.

5
 How long is adolescence?
• Age of onset of puberty is variable.
• Puberty now occurs earlier (15 to 16 years in the mid
nineteenth century) but cognitive development has not
accelerated; this may leave a greater gap between
adolescents’ biological development and the
development of their thinking.
• This can mean a period of varying length between 8 and
20 plus years!

6
 Early adolescence
(11-14 years)
• Preoccupation with bodily
changes and
masculinity/femininity –
sexual interest in others;
• Transition to secondary
school;
• Need for separation from
family;
• Friendship and group life –
being accepted important
7
 Mid adolescence (15-17 years)
• Preoccupation with body being ‘normal’ – worry about
imperfections, diet, exercise;

• Developing sexuality and experimentation with falling in

love and having partners;

• Challenges of exams and ‘what next?’

• Increased independence – driving, jobs

• Challenges of boundaries at home

8
 Late adolescence (18-25 years)
• Coupling and intimacy;

• Relying on own judgement to greater extent, rather than

family or peers;

• Developing and working towards realistic hopes rather

than just thinking & dreaming about possibilities;

• Facing the future & risk of time of crisis - Increased

incidence of breakdowns and fear of success

9
Search for Identity

• One task of the teenage

years is to establish a sense of
personal identity.

• Also teenagers need to

develop some idea of who
they could become.

10
 Egocentric-its all about me

The Personal Fable The imaginary audience

• I’m unique and special … no • people around me are eagerly
one has ever thought like me watching or listening to my
or shares my experiences …. every word and evaluating and
judging everything I do…
Getting you thinking…

• What behaviours have you noticed or

might you notice in students that illustrate
egocentric thinking?
• How have you or how might you support
them with this?
Relationships and Social Skills
• Becoming more autonomous
reducing dependency on
parents and carers –
biological, social and cultural
factors

• Increasing importance of
peer relationships; greater
intimacy in friendships; new
structures; new forms of
relationships

13
 Teenagers and their relationships

• Teenagers are engaged in a

myriad of relationships
• Most significantly peer and
parent relationships
• Relationships involve a
sequence of interactions
between individuals who know
one another
• Interactions influenced by
previous interactions, and in
turn influence future
interactions

14
 Peer Relationships
• Peer relationships increase in
importance.
• Peers may not be same age but
have same level of social,
emotional and cognitive
development.
• Relationships based on equality in
terms of knowledge and social
rank (horizontal in comparison to
parent/carer relationships which
are vertical).
• Adolescents more likely to be
honest and open with peers

15
Let’s take a pause…

Are there any reflections, comments,

questions?
It’s all an interaction between the
biological, social and cultural

17
The health paradox of adolescence
• Measures of most abilities indicate
adolescence is the healthiest and most
resilient period of the lifespan.
• From childhood to adolescence there is:
Improvement in strength, speed,
reaction time, mental reasoning
abilities and immune function.
Increased resistance to cold, heat,
hunger, dehydration, and most types
of injury.
• Yet: overall morbidity and mortality rates
increase 200-300% from childhood to
late adolescence
18
Sources of mortality in adolescence

• Primary causes of death/disability are related to

problems with control of behaviour and emotion.
Increasing rates of accidents, suicide, murder,
violence, depression, alcohol & substance use,
reckless behaviours, eating disorders, health
problems related to risky sexual behaviours.
Increase in risk-taking, sensation-seeking and erratic
(emotionally- -influenced) behaviour.

19
 Video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O1u5O
Ec5eY
 Adolescent brains
Pre-frontal cortex (thinking and planning)
• Peak in grey matter volume during early adolescence (earlier in
girls than in boys)
• Then significant decline in grey matter throughout adolescence–
prune away lesser used connections and strengthening of key
connections
• Necessary for increasing ability to integrate, consider and plan,
problem solve, make decisions, socially interact.
Limbic system (emotion, sensation & arousal)
• Involved in emotional state & feeling good - shown to be more
sensitive during adolescence compared to adult hood

21
22
 Thinking and Reasoning
•Development of the capacity for more
sophisticated thought

•Development of greater ability to deal

with abstract concepts

•But can find planning ahead and

thinking through the possible
consequences of their actions difficult

•But can find it difficult to abandon

favoured theories or look at evidence
critically
23
Thinking and Reasoning
• Tendency to apply reasoning to one
area of their life and not another

•Working memory improves – thinking

becomes multi-dimensional

• Wider perception of unfairness and

arbitrary nature of rules

• But can be more egocentric

24
 A Poem

Every day I think about

war, starvation,
violence, terrorism,
the end of the world.

It helps keep my mind

off things.

Roger McGough
25
 Sleep Patterns
Teenagers need more sleep than
children and adults, 9 ¼ hours
compared to 8 hours.
Teenagers may also be kept awake
by their bodies (melatonin
production occurs later in the
evenings in teenagers than in adults)
Catch-up daytime sleep at weekends
can further disrupt sleep patterns.
Smoking and caffeine also affect
sleep patterns.

26
 Consequences of lack of sleep in
adolescents
• Missed school and lateness
• Anxiety & depression more likely – increased
cortisol which is known as the ‘stress hormone’
• Immunity reduced
• Sleepiness (including micro-sleeps)
• Negative synergy with alcohol
• Tiredness (decreased motivation & slower
reactions)
• Difficulties with self-control of attention,
emotional regulation, memory.
27
 Some science…
Neurotransmitters- chemicals which pass messages
between nerve endings ‘(synapses)
• Oxytocin –the love drug- key role in social bonding
• Serotonin –the happy drug- modulating mood,
cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous
physiological processes such as vomiting and
vasoconstriction
• Dopamine – the pleasure drug - regulates
movement, emotion, motivation and the feeling of
pleasure stabilizes the brain activity, regulated flow
of information to other parts of the brain and controls
movement

Stress hormones
Cortisol the primary stress hormone, increases
sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances
your brain's use of glucose and increases the
availability of substances that repair tissues
Adrenalin increases your heart rate, elevates
your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies

28
 To summarise…..
It is ‘normal’ for teenagers to:
• Enjoy risk-taking behaviour
• Be egocentric
• Feel emotions very intensely
• Develop passionate interests or ‘causes’
• Push the boundaries
• Try out different identities
• Be like a two year old with muscles and brain power

29
 Adolescence and Attachment
• During adolescence there is a move to detach from the
close links with the family and move towards emotional
independence, forming a bond with another adult
outside the family
• This involves disengaging from parental control and
family dependencies
• Not all adolescents and their families manage this change
smoothly!

30
 Attachment Theory
• Attachment theory was developed in the 1950s by John
Bowlby
• It states that infants develop a strong emotional
attachment to a primary figure (often their mother)
• Responsiveness to the infant is necessary for the
development of secure emotional attachment
• This acts as a protective factor, supporting in coping
emotionally with a range of relationships throughout life
and developing resilience at times of emotional stress.
Adolescence can be a time of emotional stress for many
young people

31
 Attachment theory
• Where early attachment relationships are insecure, not
meeting the baby or young person’s emotional needs for
closeness and protection, a variety of behaviour difficulties
can develop
• Different types of reactions are commonly seen in
adolescents with attachment issues...

32
Emotional difficulties in
adolescence
• To move from childhood dependencies, the
young person has to manage to gradually
become more emotionally independent

• The instability and dis-organisation which

results can be hard for young people to
manage, especially those with troubled
early relationships

• The physical, mental and emotional

changes mentioned earlier are enormous –
these can become too powerful for some
young people to handle
33
Young people who are finding
relationships hard…
Some reactions seen are…..
• Being overly clinging or anxious , being over
demanding so you feel you can never meet their
needs
• Failing to attach closely to anyone - become
withdrawn or over cautious, refusing help and
support, seeming indifferent
• Being non selective in attachments, becoming
over-close to a range of people
• Engaging in risky behaviours
• Trying to be over -controlling – wanting everything
their way
• Find your vulnerabilities and leave you feeling
de-skilled and even worthless
34
 Emotional difficulties in
adolescence
• Adolescents can be easily overwhelmed by emotions,
particularly when tired or as part of interactions with particular
people;

• This can involve experimenting, challenging, flouting rules,

being unkempt, engaging in risky activities

• Although the young person may benefit from help, this does not
fit with their new found ‘power’ and ‘independence’. They can
become unable to accept help from those they feel closest to.

35
 Adolescence and neglect
• Neglect at home during
teenage years can be as
damaging as neglect during
early childhood
• We do need to hold our
adolescents in mind and not
think of them as adult –
however they appear or
would have us believe!

36
 Physical
Responses
to Threat Saliva production stops– Hot and sweaty skin
lump in throat or dry
The body
primes for
danger Tightness or pain in
the chest

What you don’t see;

•Adrenalin released -Heart
gets faster
Blood rushes to extremities
•Blood - pumps faster to our
making them stronger and
arms and legs
tense
•Liver releases glucose - for
strength Digestion halts – ache
•Cortisol released raising or butterflies in tummy
stress levels which can be
toxic when too high for too
long.

37
 Risk urge to
What can we “fix” and ask
questions
Focus on the
positives – no
do? healthy
Promote
risk
instead
matter how
small
Demonstrate
taking
coping skills
Use language that is Co-regulatio
non challenging/ non n
threatening; led by
Build a strong “Thank you for....”
Label emotional Teach
emotions connection problem
Work on
solving skills
your
Solutions without
smile
triggering shame And as a last Visualisation of
response Promote resort pre imagined
the bright CHOCOLATE calm space
side
Embrace mistakes –
theirs and Mindfulness Breathing –
yours
Relational Go Bubble
dosing outdoors breaths
 Developing Resilience

A resilient child can resist

adversity, cope with
uncertainty and recover
more successfully from
traumatic events or episodes
Newman 2007
• Reduction in behavioural issues incl. exclusion
rates
• Promotes emotional health and well being
• Enhances enjoyment and achievement
• Fosters a sense of identity and belonging
 Correlation not cause
Resilience
 Empathy makes us
vulnerable
Living and working with traumatised children can produce at least
three different types of thought disorder:
Collapse of core assumptions
Cognitive distortions
Cognitive impairments

People who work with traumatised young people do so because they

care - they are empathic to the needs of others.

It is this empathic nature which makes them more susceptible to

traumatic injuries and therefore secondary stress.

41
 ...helping ourselves
• Recognise that the stress is theirs, so don’t make it
yours
• Pick your battles
• Don’t take it personally, even if it seems very much like
it is meant to be
• Protect the part of you that makes you happy,
Running, music, your faith, sports, ‘me’ time
• Use your supervision and talk.
• Be aware of your developmental training needs

42
 www.elsanetwork.org
www.elsa-support.co.uk

The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) project

ELSA’s are able to support young people with:

Recognising and managing emotions
Raising self-esteem
Improving resilience
Improving peer relationships
Support with managing a loss or bereavement
Developing ways to resolve conflict effectively

The Luton Child and Educational Psychology

Service and Luton Virtual School are
collaborating to run ELSA training from
January.
 Contextual Safeguarding Network
• Free
practitioners
network
• Over 4000
members
• Access to free
resources –
videos, briefings,
blogs, tools,
webinars
• Access to
partnership
opportunities
 Contextual
Safeguarding
Contextual.safeguarding@beds.ac.uk

• Dr Carlene Firmin and her team at the

University of Bedfordshire
• Looking at risks for children and young people
outside of the family home and what WE can
do to reduce those risks
 Some suggested strategies
• Move towards less reliance through breaking down tasks to encourage
independence, whilst giving regular, consistent contact and support to
raise self esteem.
• Techniques for holding them in mind – notes, cards, objects, setting
small manageable tasks. Try not to over help
• Acknowledge frustrations and anxieties – wonder aloud - to help the
yp feel understood and make sense of their emotions
• Help the yp to see alternative models of positive relationships and
learn from experience with other attachment figures
• Help them to recognise triggers that make them more anxious
• Help them to learn how to lower their anxiety levels and find activities
which help them to lower their stress levels

46
 Some suggested strategies
• Reactions often mask anxiety and fear of rejection. Accept the
level of trust the young person has to offer
• Communicate your positive feelings about the young person in a
low key way - get alongside the young person through activities
and tasks they like. Use these as a basis for your relationship
• Avoid control battles – use appropriate compromises, allow them
control and choice when feasible, use ‘take up’ time.
• Have a consistent, sensitive, positive approach for all working with
the young person to stop them playing people off against each
other leading to further rejection. They need a secure base
around them where rules, routines and boundaries are clear
and the reactions of adults around them are predictable

47
 Some suggested strategies
• Choice can be confusing and not useful for these young people.
Instead try and make them feel understood and safe – reduce the
open ended choices they are exposed to
• Praise should be ‘low key’ – they may be unable to cope with positive
attention or more direct praise due to their limited experience of this
• Help them to recognise their triggers and lower their anxiety levels
• Many of the suggestions mentioned previously may help but be sure
that you have support around you too!

48
 Who can help in Luton?
• From jobs to relationships speak to the local or national
connexions direct:
Alma Street Drop-in Centre Tel: 01582 548 340
• For sexual health Brook - Confidential advice for under
25s Main Clinic in George St 01582 748580
• Youthscape.co.uk
• GUM (sexual health) clinic in Luton and Dunstable
hospital 01582 497070
• The TOKKO youth centre in the town centre will have a
drop in counselling service – contact Linda Falmer for
advice on counselling (07771 844213 or 548939)

49
 Reading list
• Teenagers and Attachment (2009) by M. Sunderland, D. Hughes, K. Brisch, L. Bomber
Published by Worth
• Parenting Teenagers (1992) by Bob Myers JK Publishers
• Freaks, Geeks & Aspergers Syndrome (2002) by Luke Jackson, JK Publishers
• Surviving you Adolescents (1998) by T. Phelan, published by Child Management Inc
• How to talk so teens will listen and listen so teens will talk by Faber and Mazlish
• Research in practice on understanding adolescence and other topics

There are a variety of parent guides - well reviewed are...

• Get out of my life : but first take me and Alex into town (2008) Wolf and Franks
• Teenagers (2009) by Rob Parsons, published by Hodder & Stoughton
• Parent Power: bringing up responsible children and teenagers’ by John Sharry,
published by Wiley
• Blame my Brain (2005) by Nicola Morgan, published by Walker
 Evaluation

https://forms.office.com/e/sLr0yXzrBR