Topic - Teen Brains. One of the most confusing features about teenagers is that they seem smart, but don’t act smart.
At times, they behave maturely and the next minute, they are having a full-blown tantrum about nothing at all. What’s the reason for these extremes?
It has to do with the timing of brain development. From age 11 to 16, kids’ performance on intelligence tests improve rapidly and then level off suggesting intelligence peaks by age 16 which is when the brain stops physically growing.
The brain continues to physically mature and becomes more efficient until about age 35.
Impulse control and evaluating risk doesn’t fully mature until the early-to-mid 20’s. As a result, teens are more capable of deciding when to end a pregnancy than they are of controlling their behaviors in a violent confrontation.
Avoiding confrontations that may escalate into violence is critical for managing your family and keeping authorities out of your relationships.
