UNDERSTANDING AND MOTIVATING THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ADOLESCENT/STUDENT

1. 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 Facsimile www.newperspectives-indy.com barb6308@earthlink.net

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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

10. AGE APPROPRIATE DEVELOPMENTAL BEHAVIOR • Cognitive Development 1. Transition from concrete to abstract thinking 2. Uses abstract words and concepts in a selective manner 3. Uses abstract words such as love and hate without full appreciation of their meanings 4. Emergence of independent and critical thinking 5. Can apply logic to problem solving and can think deductively 6. Can solve problems by considering alternatives

11. Language Skills 1. Should have adequate command of written and spoken language 2. Without adequate language skills, academic and interpersonal achievement may be impeded 3. Can discuss feelings in group and increase self understanding 4. More likely to use behavior than words to express or defend against conflict

12. Physical Development 1. Males begin growth spurt 2. Females experience peak of growth spurt which results in change in body proportion 3. Females develop secondary sex characteristics: Breast and menstruation 4. Early maturation is related to more positive self concept 5. Improved motor development and coordination 6. Narcissistic preoccupation with physical changes which increase self consciousness

13. 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 development 4. Defend against dependency on parents by rebelling about issues such as rules, curfew, chores, clothing

14. Social Development 1. Peers become increasingly important source of behavioral standards and models 2. Conform to roles assigned by the peer group 3. Sex role is a concern and teens seek information from peers 4. Team games are popular 5. Crushes and hero worship common 6. Girls exhibit more social skills than boys 7. Boisterous behavior is common 8. Self-consciousness creates anxiety about behavior 9. Interest in opposite sex occurs but is frequently denied 10. Usually have one or two close friends as opposed to large peer group association 11. Faced with value decisions 12. Peer group influence in these value decisions is intensified 13. The peer group rules 14. Time of frantic and relentless activity 15. Most pathological group member becomes leader 16. Exclusion and scapegoating of teens who are different

15. Emotional Development 1. Experience emotions intensely 2. Act impulsively on emotions 3. Don’t understand that feelings are transient 4. Fluctuations in emotions: may fluctuate between feeling omnipotent and worthless 5. Mild and transient feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt and shame

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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.