Delinquent, Disturbed or Just Plain Acting Out: Unfinished Adolescent Brain Development May Be to Blame
You may think the scientific subject of adolescent brain development may be out of place here.
Not so if you are a parent going through a family court case – or a parent of a child going through a juvenile (dependency or delinquency) court case. Or may be in the future.
According to studies, adolescent brains are not fully developed and are, therefore, less capable of reasoning and judgment and impulse control than adult brains – even during the late teens and early twenties.
This knowledge has important implications for parents and children who must interact with the legal system, whether by choice or otherwise.
Whether your child is acting out mildly during your divorce – or has started having run-ins with the law since starting high school, even though your family is intact.
While some of these behaviors may be responses to environmental stimuli, they may also be caused or exacerbated by biological factors.
Either way, every parent may benefit from learning about the biology of the adolescent brain.
Read more in this Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel article – Inside their heads: Rebellious teen behavior could stem from biology.
