9.2.0 Adolescence: A Time of Many Changes |
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Louisiana Statewide Transition Project and Louisiana: Healthy and Ready to Work Fact Sheet Series |
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06/29/00 |
Adolescence is the exciting,
yet often confusing, stage of life between childhood and adulthood. It is a time of great change for
adolescents: physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. All youth, those with and without
disabilities, undergo dramatic changes during this time. It is not uncommon for adolescents to feel
bewildered, uncertain, misunderstood, and even a bit frightened, as they move
from childhood to adulthood. As a
result, it is very important that open communication be established and
maintained between adolescents and their families, their friends, and their
service/support providers. Open
communication will help ensure that all of the needs faced by adolescents are
both acknowledged and addressed.
Puberty: Puberty is a developmental
milestone in people’s lives, marked by changes in both the male and female
anatomy. The most noteworthy of these
changes results in the ability to reproduce children. Puberty usually begins earlier for girls than it does for
boys. Puberty can begin at many
different ages for both females (as young as age 9 to as old as age 15) and
males (as young as age 10 to as old as age 16). Since puberty may occur at a much younger age or a much older age
for individuals with certain disabilities and/or medical conditions, it is
important to consult with health care providers and even support groups in
order to receive disability-/diagnosis-specific information.
Physical
Changes:
Typically, adolescence brings about a growth spurt, with both males and females
growing and maturing at a rate that is faster than they will ever experience
again in their lives. Males experience
a change in voice as theirs become increasingly deeper. They also develop broader shoulders and more
muscle mass. Females experience a
change in body shape, with their hips becoming wider and curvier and their
breasts beginning to develop. Both
males and females will experience an increase in body hair, as well as changes
in sweat and oil glands. Acne is quite
common during this time.
Reproductive
Changes:
During puberty, both males and females will experience an enlargement of their
sexual organs and the development of pubic hair. Females will experience their first menstrual periods, although
they may be irregular for the first year.
Males will begin to develop sperm, as well as the ability to
ejaculate. Accompanying these changes
in both males and females may be increased interest in sexuality.
Nutritional
Changes/Exercise: Adolescents have increased energy requirements. As a result, they often need more calories,
protein, vitamins, and fat in their diets.
Adopting a set of healthy eating habits during adolescence is a better
alternative than a lifetime of dieting.
Adolescents with weight
problems should develop a weight loss program that
includes both a change in eating habits and an exercise program. Exercise can increase both physical and
emotional well-being.
Emotional
Changes:
Emotions are part of life. During
adolescence, sometimes it is difficult to understand all the emotional changes
that are taking place. Adolescents try
to understand what they are feeling, why they are feeling this, how to express
what they are feeling, and appropriate ways to manage their feelings.
Sexuality: As adolescents go through
puberty, increased thoughts about sexuality and romantic relationships are
quite common. Adolescence also marks a time when feelings of homosexuality are
often addressed. Several additional
areas, such as birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual abuse, and
pregnancy, are critical issues for which adolescents need to have readily
available and accurate sources of information.
Intellectual
Changes:
Adolescents is a critical time to establish and maintain good life-long habits
for learning. Intellectual growth is
important for a balanced adult life.
Adolescents should make the most of opportunities, both formal and
informal, to increase their intellectual abilities. Well-rounded adults have a life-long pursuit of intellectual
growth.
Students/Young Adults:
Young adults need to take
responsibility to learn as much as they can as about the physical, emotional,
social, and intellectual changes that are part of adolescence. While school curricula provide a formal way
to do so, there are a number of informal ways as well. Communicating needs to and asking questions
of family members, health care providers, peers, and adult mentors are
excellent ways to increase this knowledge.
Adolescents should be encouraged to identify someone that they feel
comfortable talking to about their feelings and their concerns.
The transition planning
process is an excellent way to ensure that the needs of adolescents are
communicated, acknowledged, and met. As part of the transition planning
process, adolescents can develop the much-needed skills to communicate and work
effectively with their service/support providers, particularly their health
care providers.
Families:
Educating themselves and their children at a younger age is very important so that they will be prepared in advance and will know what to expect. Families need to become and stay aware of the changes that are happening to their adolescent children.
Recognizing that adolescents need time to be alone with their peers can be a difficult first step for family members of adolescents with disabilities and/or special health care needs. Making themselves available to talk with their children about the changes that they are experiencing and the challenges that they are facing as part of adolescence is critical. Family members can also play a critical role by encouraging and supporting consultation with health care providers and support groups about disability-/diagnosis-specific information.
Allowing and encouraging adolescents to take responsibility for mutually agreed upon areas of their lives promote and support the transition from adolescence to adulthood. A powerful way for family members to contribute to a successful transition is to provide access to a successful adult role model with similar presenting needs and goals as their sons/daughters. The transition planning process can provide the mechanism for the identification of such a role model.
Agencies:
As part of the transition process, adolescents should be encouraged to pose questions and to raise their concerns regarding the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual concerns that they are experiencing. Self-determination skills training can be a major component of adolescents’ curricula.
Likewise, service/support providers need to be sensitive to and be able to respond to the myriad of adolescents’ needs and those of their families. Due to the nature of adolescence, specific health care changes may be warranted. Health care providers and support groups can play a vital role regarding disability-/diagnosis-specific information, including referral to other appropriate agencies.
The identification and
inclusion of appropriate participants regarding the development of the
transition services portion of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) are
key factors to successful transition.
Service/support providers, especially regarding
disability-/diagnosis-specific areas related to adolescence, need to be
integral members of transition planning teams.
IV. RESOURCES/CONTACTS
American Academy of
Pediatrics, Committee on Adolescence
1-800- 433-9016
Center for Early Adolescence
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
Suite 211, Carr Mill Mall
Carrboro, NC 27510
(919) 966-1148
Children’s Special Health
Services
Louisiana Department of
Health and Hospitals
Office of Public Health
325 Loyola Avenue, Room 607
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 568-5055
National Center for Youth
with Disabilities
University of Minnesota
Box 721 UMHC
Harvard Street at East River
Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455
1-800-333-6293
TDD (612) 624-3939
Sexuality and Social
Development Resources for Parents of Children with Disabilities
6 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03301
1-800-852-3345 Ext. 4525
V. REFERENCES
Greydanus, D. (1991). The American Academy of Pediatrics caring for
your adolescent: Ages 12-21. New York, NY: Bantam Books.
Holmes, G.R. (1995). Helping teenagers into adulthood. Westport,
CT: Praeger Publishers.
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The development and dissemination of this document
were supported in part by funds from the U.S. Department of Education
(Cooperative Agreement #H158A6007, “The Louisiana Statewide Transition
Project: A Multi-Constituency Model”) and the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Program (Grant MCJ-22HRW6,
“Louisiana: Healthy and Ready to Work”). The opinions expressed herein are
solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or
position of the U.S. Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, and no official endorsement by either of these two
agencies should be inferred. The LSUMC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or the
provision of services. This document may be duplicated and disseminated in its
original form without obtaining permission. Alternate forms of this document are available upon request at 1-888-942-8104 or TDD 1-504-942-5900. |