UNDERSTANDING AND MOTIVATING THEMIDDLE SCHOOL

ADOLESCENT/STUDENT

Presented by:JANICE E. GABE, LCSW, MAC

New Perspectives of Indiana, Inc.6314-A Rucker Road

Indianapolis, IN 46220(317) 465-9699

(317) 465-9689 Facsimilewww.newperspectives-indy.com

barb6308@earthlink.net

WHO ARE THESE KIDS

• STUCK ON FAST FORWARD• INSTANT WORLD• SEXY GIRLS/TOUGH GUYS• CONCERNED ABOUT SEX IN THEIR WORLD• COLLECTORS/CONSUMERS• FRENZY PACE• 75% HAVE BOTH PARENTS IN THE WORK FORCE• OVERLY COMLIANT PARENTS• EARLY ASSERTION OF INDEPENDENCE• EARLY EXPOSURE TO VALUE BASED DECISIONS

WITH LEASS PARENTAL SUPERVISION

• HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH THE MESSAGE THE WORLD IS A SCARY PLACE: QUESTION THEIR SAFETY AT SCHOOL AND IN COMMUNITY

• FIND COMFORT IN THE WORLD OF ELECTRONICS

• UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND STUDY IN 1998 – 29% OF 8TH GRADERS HAD USED ILLEGAL DRUGS AND 52% HAD USED ALCOHOL

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN

• BRAIN GROWTH

• Brain Growth: The gray matter (the thinking part of the brain in the frontal lobe) thickens and gains connections at a rapid rate between the age of 10 and twelve.

• Brain Pruning: Excessive gray matter connections (the parts of the brain that are not used) prunes, eliminates and thinks throughout adolescence and into young adulthood.

• The type of activity in which the teen is involved will determine which parts of the brain survive and which will be lost.

FRONTAL LOBE DEVELOPMENT

• The frontal lobe is responsible for executive functions such as:

• Planning• Organizing• Controlling Impulses• Inhibit Gut Responses• Regulating Emotion• Thinking through Consequences

• This part of the brain is under-developed in teens and will not be completely mature until the teen reaches their early twenties.

CERABELLUM

This is an area in the back of the brain. This part of the brain actually goes through the most changes during the adolescent years and these changes continue well into the twenties. This is the part of the brain which has long been associated with physical movement. We now understand that this part of the brain is responsible for social as well as physical grace. It is critical in smoothing out intellectual processes and assist in navigating complex social situations. This part of the brain is stimulated by movement.

MOTIVATION

Research shows distinct differences in the activity levels in the reward achievement responses between adult brains and adolescent brains. The reward activation center in the adolescent brain is under-stimulated which results in teens being less willing to work towards rewards and more willing to participate in activities which they view as providing them with significant rewards with little effort (such as drinking, sex, drug use.) They also need greater rewards to motivate action.

WHAT IS MATURE IN THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN?

The parts of the brain that are responsible for mediating spatial, auditory, language, and auditory functioning (the Parietal and

Temporal Lobes) are mature

READING CUES FROM OTHERS

When using MRI’s to monitor how adults and adolescent brains responded to a series of pictures reflecting emotions, researchers discovered:

- Adults were able to correctly label the picture representing “fear” with 100% accuracy

- Adolescents in 50% of the cases labeled the picture of “anger” or “confusion”

- Younger adolescents and males were more likely to be incorrect in this- Adult’s frontal lobes were utilized during this

activity- Adolescent’s anterior regions were utilized during this activity- The anterior region relies on “gut responses” as opposed to logic

AGE APPROPRIATE DEVELOPMENTAL BEHAVIOR

• Cognitive Development1. Transition from concrete to abstract thinking2. Uses abstract words and concepts in a

selective manner3. Uses abstract words such as love and hate without full appreciation of their meanings4. Emergence of independent and critical

thinking5. Can apply logic to problem solving and can think deductively6. Can solve problems by considering alternatives

• Language Skills

1. Should have adequate command of written and spoken language

2. Without adequate language skills, academic and interpersonal

achievement may be impeded3. Can discuss feelings in group and

increase self understanding4. More likely to use behavior than

words to express or defend against conflict

• Physical Development

1. Males begin growth spurt2. Females experience peak of growth spurt which results in change in body proportion3. Females develop secondary sex characteristics: Breast and menstruation4. Early maturation is related to more positive self concept5. Improved motor development and coordination6. Narcissistic preoccupation with physical

changes which increase self consciousness

• Role of Family

1. Child needs opportunity to make decisions

2. Parental influence over the child outside the home decreases

3. Parents continue to play an important part in value development4. Defend against dependency on parents by rebelling about issues such as rules, curfew, chores, clothing

• Social Development1. Peers become increasingly important source of behavioral standards and models2. Conform to roles assigned by the peer group3. Sex role is a concern and teens seek information from

peers4. Team games are popular5. Crushes and hero worship common6. Girls exhibit more social skills than boys7. Boisterous behavior is common8. Self-consciousness creates anxiety about behavior9. Interest in opposite sex occurs but is frequently denied10. Usually have one or two close friends as opposed to large peer group association11. Faced with value decisions12. Peer group influence in these value decisions is intensified13. The peer group rules14. Time of frantic and relentless activity15. Most pathological group member becomes leader16. Exclusion and scapegoating of teens who are different

• Emotional Development

1. Experience emotions intensely2. Act impulsively on emotions3. Don’t understand that feelings are

transient4. Fluctuations in emotions: may fluctuate between feeling omnipotent

and worthless5. Mild and transient feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt and shame

• Academic Functioning

1. May experience anxiety and fear about new complex school system

2. School authority is questioned and opposed

3. School provides major outlet for social activity

STRESS AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT

• Failure in school, sports, or social popularity• Looking or acting strange• Death or life-threatening illness or disease• Sex (attracting other, repelling others, being attracted)• Being fooled or brainwashed• Losing possessions or being robbed• Family move• Change in family’s standard of living• Parents fighting, separating, divorcing• School, test, grades• Money and buying decisions• Games and sports• Physical appearance• Sex related feelings and body changes• Decisions about drugs and alcohol• School, community and athletic awards and recognition• Popularity with peers• Being treated and treating others fairly• Rumors• Physical safety

Motivating and Treating the Middle School Adolescent/Student

• Focus on developing a sense of security and competence in their world

• Be aware of how they personalize peers behavior and help normalize this

• Provide a network of supervision. If the middle school teen tests limits by trying inappropriate behavior, the best deterrent to future behavior is to monitor closely, catch it early, make a big deal out of it when it happens

• Intervene by utilizing value based, action oriented consequences that clearly communicate the message that the adolescent will be held responsible for his/her behavior

• Be sensitive to the internal conflict and fear that the young adolescent feels about their autonomy issue. Pay attention to the negative impact that trauma can have on a young teen’s development

• Help them see their feelings are transient and recognize that bad feelings won’t last forever

• Create cultures that enhance their attachments to adults and promote an attitude of respect

• Help the young adolescent and their parent realize that time means something entirely different to an adolescent than it does to an adult

• Provide physical outlets for expression of feelings. (Get their bodies moving and their mouths will follow.)

• Be realistic in asking them to “explain” their behavior or “express” their feelings

• Limit exposure to older teens in unstructured environments. Be cautious about putting young teens in groups with older teens

• Utilize the “most pathological person rules” to your advantage in group or in the classroom

• Be aware that middle school kids actually respond better to individual than group therapy

• Develop semi-structured age-appropriate situations for male/female interaction

• Provide safe environment for discussing and exploring issues of psycho-sexual development

• Don’t over react to the young teens use of abstract language to describe concrete situations

• Talk to kids about what’s going on with their brains, bodies, and feelings

• Families, schools, and communities have to focus on ways of utilizing middle school teens as resources and allowing them some sense of control in their world

• Teach appropriate methods of asserting independence without the risk of encountering rejection (especially for girls.)

• Avoid approaches that seem childish or babyish – middle school kids fear their childish feelings and will reject these things

• Be careful not to over pathologize mood swings, impulsiveness, physical conflict in this age group

Bibliography

Giedd JN, Blumenthal J, Jeffries NO, et al. Brain development during childhood and adolescence: a longitudinal MRI study. Nature Neuroscience, 1999; 2(10): 861-3.

Rapoport JL, Giedd JN, Blumenthal J. et al. Progressive cortical change during adolescence in childhood-onset schizophrenia. A longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 1999; 56(7): 649-54.

Thompson PM, Giedd JN, Woods RP, et al. Growth patterns in the developing brain detected by using continuum mechanical tensor maps. Nature, 2000; 404(6774): 190-3.

Sowell ER, Thompson PM, Holmes CJ, et al. In vivo evidence for post-adolescent brain maturation in frontal and striatal regions. Nature Neuroscience, 1999; 2(10): 859-61.

Baird AA, Gruber SA, Fein DA, et al. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of facial affect recognition in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1999; 38(2): 195-9.