Download It`s All About Relationships

It’s All About Relationships
Understanding Adolescent Brain Development
Presented by:
Lori A. Hoffner
Speaker~Trainer~Consultant
Supporting CommUnity, Inc.
www.SupportingCommUnity.com
[email protected]
Phone ~ 720-353-2863
The Approach
 The Key Is…
 Focus on __________
 Focus on Building
 _______________ are key
The Adolescent Brain is Hardwired to Connect
o Young brains are _______ for deep connections
“The fundamental law of human beings is interdependence. A person is a person
through other persons.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu
RESEARCH:
Birth to __________
5X by adulthood
Puberty begins earlier
Adolescence last longer
o Brain is fully grown by age 12, however, there are still thousands
of neuro-transmissions that still need to develop/connect.
Complex reasoning is only ________________ brain function.
Created by Lori Hoffner ~ Supporting CommUnity, Inc. ~ 720-353-2863
www.SupportingCommUnity.com ~ [email protected]
 Keeping it all in _______________
 “What did I do wrong”
 It’s just as confusing to them as it is to you.
 You cannot afford to stop teaching; don’t give up.
 Your adolescence still need your CONNECTION – GUIDANCE
and SUPPORT!
PERSISTANCE and CONSITANCY in your ___________ and ______________
How it works…
 Electrical
 Neuron, dendrites and axons
 When a baby is born, only about ______ of his neurons are connected out of
the possibility of a quadrillion.
 The wiring of the brain; _________ and _______________.
 Genetics – the hard wiring
 Life experience – the soft wiring
Creating the Paths
 Repetition = support
 Making a way, blazing a trail
 “How many times do I have to tell you?”
 Thousands of pathways
Created by Lori Hoffner ~ Supporting CommUnity, Inc. ~ 720-353-2863
www.SupportingCommUnity.com ~ [email protected]
Brain Development
 Use it or lose it.
 Blossoming and pruning
 Brain begins to _________ what use and not use
 Variety of experiences allow more ______________ to
develop
Windows of opportunity
 Some emotional skills are only developed during adolescence
 Three that are:
 Impulse Control
 Relationships
 Communication
 Give them opportunities to develop (or practice) these skills.
 Adverse experiences can have an even greater ________ impact.
 Window was _________ so more adverse things stick.
 Window of Sensitivity
 Teens and Alcohol
 Teens and Nicotine
 Myelination
 Increases in certain parts of the brain100% during adolescence.
 Sheath around all the _______ ______ of the neurons – called axons
- makes the “firings” more accurate.
Adolescents are….
 Working hard to make the shift from ____________ to ____________ thinking.
 Growing at warp speed
 They are growing faster than any other time of their life.
 Thinking about a lot!
Created by Lori Hoffner ~ Supporting CommUnity, Inc. ~ 720-353-2863
www.SupportingCommUnity.com ~ [email protected]
The Brain’s CEO
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Pre Frontal Cortex
Planning and decision making
_________ control
Emotional cues
________ taking
Hormones
 More than 50 being produced in the body and the brain
 Not just about sex
 Hormone Surges impact:
Mood swings
Energy swings
Teenage “laziness”
Sleep rhythms
There is rapid development in other areas of the
brain, the PFC is dark/dormant… basically under
construction.
Sometimes it’s necessary for the
_______ to be the PFC.
Programming
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
Employment
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
Created by Lori Hoffner ~ Supporting CommUnity, Inc. ~ 720-353-2863
www.SupportingCommUnity.com ~ [email protected]
Celebrate This Time!
It is normal for an adolescent to…
 Argue for the sake of arguing
 Jump to __________
 Be self-centered
 Constantly find _______ in the _______ position
 Be overly _______
Creating Pathways Every Day
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“Dinner Table” conversations
Homework
Group Activities
In the Classroom
On the Playing Field
In the Workplace
In the Community
Resource
Why Do They Act That Way?
A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for you and Your Teen.
David Walsh, Ph.D.
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Supporting CommUnity, Inc.