my kid did what?! the impact of brain development on high risk behaviors

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My Kid Did What?! My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain The Impact of Brain Development on High Development on High Risk Behaviors Risk Behaviors

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Page 1: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

My Kid Did What?! My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain The Impact of Brain

Development on High Risk Development on High Risk BehaviorsBehaviors

Page 2: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

A teenager’s brain “has a well-developed accelerator but only a partly developed brake.” Laurence Steinberg

Page 3: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Dispelling the MythsDispelling the Myths• Myth #1: I need to teach my children how

to drink before they go to college.• Myth #2: They are going to do it anyway. I

might as well let them do it at my house so I know they are safe.

• Myth #3: My kid is a good kid so I don’t need to worry as much.

Page 4: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Dispelling the MythsDispelling the Myths

• Myth #4: Europe has a lower drinking age and less problems with alcohol.

• Myth #5: I did it when I was in high school, and I’m fine.

• Myth #6: Drinking is different than drugs.

Page 5: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

The Big PictureThe Big Picture

• Adolescents brain development ends at 25 years old• They are less likely to use executive functioning skills • The frontal lobe is even less useful while under the

influence of drugs or alcohol.• Even “good kids” make mistakes. Adolescent brains are

all still developing, so there are no “bad kids.” • Children who live in an environment where abuse or

dependence is occurring are three times more likely to become dependent themselves.

Page 6: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

The Accelerator Vs. The BrakeThe Accelerator Vs. The Brake• Prefrontal Cortex:

Directs our judgment & decision-making (rational, mature thinking)

• Amygdala: Directs our emotional response (immaturity)

• Delay, Deny, Discourage!

Page 7: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

200 Billion NeuronsBy age 6!

Learning is the process of creating, strengthening, and discarding connections among neurons.

Page 8: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

AGE AGE 11-12 11-12 24-25 24-25 200 100

Page 9: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

USE IT OR LOSE ITUSE IT OR LOSE IT PRINCIPLE PRINCIPLE

• Pruning (Apoptosis) clears out unneeded wiring to make way for more efficient and faster information-processing (thicker myelin)

Page 10: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Prefrontal Cortex Thinking: Executive Function Skills

• Abstract; conceptual understanding• Impulse Control• Problem-Solving• Decision-Making

• Judgment• Emotion Regulation

• Frustration Tolerance• Ability to Feel Empathy

Page 11: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

What is Amygdala Thinking?

• Fight, Flight, Freeze Survival Mode• All or Nothing: Concrete• Based on fear or anger reactions• Ignited by real or perceived threats• Begins adrenaline cycle

Page 12: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors
Page 13: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

What DOES This Mean?Adolescents on average are more:• Impulsive• Aggressive• Emotionally volatile• Likely to take risks• Vulnerable to peer pressure• Likely to overlook alternative courses of action• Prone to focus on & overestimate short-term payoffs

and underplay longer-term consequences of what they do

Page 14: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

HYPOFRONTALITY = HYPOFRONTALITY = PLEASUREPLEASURE

Page 15: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Triple D: Delay, Deny, Discourage!Triple D: Delay, Deny, Discourage!Students who wait to use drugs or alcohol until age

21, are likely NEVER to have problems with addiction during their lifetime.

Students who have a genetic predisposition to addiction and wait to use until age 21, are 40% less

likely to have problems with addiction.

SAMSHA, 2012

WHY?WHY?

Page 16: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

How doHow dohigh-risk behaviors high-risk behaviors

such as such as substance use substance use impact teens choices impact teens choices

to engage in other to engage in other high-risk behaviors high-risk behaviors such as such as bullyingbullying??

Page 17: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Bullying-Why it MattersBullying-Why it Matters

• This month your students will be educated on bullying awareness

• A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 20 percent of teens nationwide report having been bullied at school within the past 12 months

Page 18: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Bullying-Why it MattersBullying-Why it Matters

As reported in the EHS survey data from the 2014—2015 school year,

bullying does occur in various ways, most notably in the form of social,

emotional and verbal bullying.

Page 19: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Bullying and High Risk BehaviorsBullying and High Risk Behaviors• Kids are often pressured or bullied into

using substances.

• Young people want to fit in. Peer pressure is the biggest influence on underage drinking.

• Lack of psychosocial maturity greatly impacts the power and influence of bullying and peer pressure

Page 20: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors
Page 21: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Parent Tool KitParent Tool Kit• The helicopter & lawnmower VS. healthy parenting

styles• “Duck tape therapy”- Listen 90% and Speak 10% of

the time• Set Home Rules! • Ask about their friends…• Have Family dinners!• Create a healthy, open dialogue, where your child

can be free to express themselves

Page 22: My Kid Did What?! The Impact of Brain Development on High Risk Behaviors

Do you think parents are justified in being their teen’s prefrontal cortex until it is fully developed?

Do you think teens underestimate the negative consequences of high-risk behavior? Why?

When do you step in when reports of bullying have occurred?

What does all this mean to you?What does all this mean to you?