9.3.0 Moving Towards More Health and Medical Independence: Adolescence |
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Louisiana Statewide Transition Project and Louisiana: Healthy and Ready to Work Fact Sheet Series |
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07/10/00 |
Adolescence is a time when teenagers are preparing for
adulthood. For adolescents both with
and without disabilities, there will be many different changes that occur as
they become adults. Along with these
changes come many chances and occasions for new experiences. Many of these new experiences will present
opportunities for adolescents to become more independent and to accept more
responsibilities in their own lives.
Therefore, it is critical for adolescents to learn and to apply skills
that will promote and support this movement towards more independence,
including more independence in the areas of health and medical issues.
Communication: Good communication skills
are important in all aspects of adult life: professional, social, and
personal. Good communication skills
include both expressive (making statements and/or asking questions to ensure
understanding) and receptive (active listening) abilities. Being a good communicator takes
practice. Secondary curricula,
including self-determination skills training, can provide excellent
opportunities to learn and practice effective communication skills.
Hygiene: How young adults look and
take care of themselves affect how they feel about themselves and how others
perceive them. Adolescence provides a
natural time for young adults to become more independent and to take on more
responsibilities regarding their own personal care, including directing others
who serve as personal care providers or who provide assistance. (Several other Fact Sheets in this series
provide additional information on this area: Hygiene/Personal Needs; Personal
Hygiene…Physical Disabilities; and Directing
Care and Asking for Assistance.)
Health and
Medical Self-Management: Part of the responsibility of taking care of
oneself includes decision-making related to health and medical issues. These decisions may relate to dietary and
exercise habits. Another part of the
responsibility includes identifying and taking action on steps and tasks that
need to be completed. These may include
scheduling medical appointments and arranging for transportation to and from
such appointments. A third part of the
responsibility includes identifying and securing additional skills, resources,
and/or assistance as needed. Keeping
track of what is happening with the process and determining whether the process
is working or not are also important components of health and medical
self-management. Knowing when goals
have been met or when they need to be changed are critical parts of this process.
Difficult
Issues and Challenges:
Peer Pressure - Peers of adolescents are
young adults who are around the same age.
Adolescents usually begin to spend more time with their peers than they
did when they were younger. Being
accepted, liked, and included by their peers are important matters to
adolescents. Unfortunately, peer pressure is a pitfall that many adolescents
give into rather than standing up for their own beliefs and values. Self-determination skills training is one
way to assist adolescents to deal with peer pressure.
Alcohol and
Drug Abuse
- During adolescence, exposure to alcohol and illegal drug use may
increase. Knowing the consequences of
substance abuse, both medically and legally, could positively influence some
young adults regarding their decision-making in this area.
Crime and
Violence -
Because young adults begin to experience new activities and situations, often
with larger and less familiar groups of individuals, the risk of exposure to
crime and violence often increases.
Informed individuals can greatly reduce these risks by being able to
recognize potentially dangerous situations, knowing how to avoid such
situations, and being able to problem-solve when faced with such situations.
Depression and
Suicide –
Over the last 25 years, the rate of teen suicides has increased
dramatically. It is now the second
leading cause of deaths among young adults.
Depression is often one of the major factors related to suicide. Being aware of some of the signs of
depression (e.g., reduced interest in typical activities, changes in normal
sleeping and eating patterns, self-mutilation, etc.) can assist adolescents,
their peers, their family members, and their service/support providers to get
help from appropriate sources. Health
care professionals can be valuable resources in this area.
Sexual Abuse – Statistics have shown
that nearly half of all rape victims are adolescents. As a result, it is critical that young adults, both males and
females, have knowledge about types of sexual abuse, about how and where to
report the abuse, and about the importance of seeking medical treatment if
abuse has occurred. Since many
adolescents with disabilities and/or special health care needs receive
assistance with personal care routines, it is important that they learn what is
appropriate in such instances. Having
someone that they are comfortable talking to and that they can trust in this
area is important for all adolescents.
Students/Young Adults:
Wanting to be more
independent and to have more input regarding personal matters is typical in
terms of adolescence. However,
accepting the responsibilities that go along with increased independence is a
major step for any young adult. Having
the skills required to be more independent and more responsible is as important
as knowing how and whom to ask for assistance when needed. The ability to make informed decisions and
to problem-solve is very important as adolescents move towards more
independence. Specifically in the areas
of health and medical issues, increased independence can mean a matter of life
or death.
Adolescents can use the
transition planning process to assist them in gaining skills that promote and
support independence and in recognizing and addressing the many challenges they
are faced with during adolescence. The
transition process can also be useful for adolescents to build support systems
that can assist them in facing these challenges.
Families:
It is often a very difficult
task for parents of any adolescent to
allow their sons/daughters to become more independent. For parents of
adolescents with disabilities and/or special health care needs, it may be even
more difficult. However, rather than
take unneeded risks or extra precautions, family members can become active
participants in their son’s/daughter’s transition planning process. This process can assist family members to
define, address, and evaluate their role during the transition process. In
addition, this process can assist family members to promote self-determination
skills in their sons/daughters. (Several other Fact Sheets in this series
provide additional information on this area: The Family Role in the Transition Process and Self-Advocacy/Self-Determination.)
As their sons/daughters are
growing up, parents can provide appropriate and mutually agreed upon
opportunities for decision-making, goal setting, and problem-solving. In addition, serving as a positive role
model can promote independence and responsibility regarding health and medical
practices among their adolescent children.
Finally, keeping the lines of communication open will help their
sons/daughters to face the challenges of adolescence.
Agencies:
The transition process
provides an excellent vehicle for agencies to support adolescents and their
families to move towards grater independence, specifically regarding health and
medical issues.
Many families are hesitant
to allow their sons/daughters with disabilities and/or special heath care needs
to take on more responsibilities regarding hygiene and health/medical self-management. By providing skills training, an array of
services, and adequate support systems, agencies can promote increased
independence among adolescents.
Health care providers can
play a key role in this process of moving towards more health and medical
independence. Encouraging young adults to ask questions and responding to their
questions in appropriate ways are important ways to assist young adults to be
more responsible regarding health and medical issues.
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. |