By Megan Spencer, PsyD, LP, Clinical Psychologist
Dakota Family Services
Adolescence is a time of significant growth as it relates to personal, interpersonal, and family dynamics. Children are growing and developing physically and emotionally, and the many changes brought on by puberty can be exciting, scary, and confusing—all at the same time.
When children come to Dakota Family Services, we assess their development by looking at their physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning.
Physical Development: Puberty is a biological event that typically occurs between ages 10 and 12 for females and between 12 and 14 years for males. During puberty, growth continues rapidly for 3 to 4 years, with females reaching close to full stature/physical development by age 15/16 and males by age 17/18.
Trauma and adversity can impact a child’s physical development, showing up as tremors, difficulty drawing and handwriting, becoming easily dizzy, and/or displaying awkward movements and/or clumsiness. It can impact a child’s sleep, making it difficult for them to fall asleep, stay asleep, or sleep alone, as well as cause nightmares.
They might also face problems like feeling too hot or too cold, unusual changes in appetite or thirst, growing too little or too much, starting puberty too early or late, gaining or losing a lot of weight, or not being able to smell.
Cognitive Development: During adolescence, major cognitive changes in the brain create significant and rapid advances. Adolescents want to assert more independence from family or caregivers, and friends and peers become a major focus. At the same time, their emotional worlds become volatile.
Neurons in the frontal lobe of the brain rapidly develop, grow, and interconnect during adolescence, leading to more complex and sophisticated thinking. This growth and connectedness give us the ability to consider long-term consequences, manage impulses, and conduct abstract reasoning and planning.
During this time, adolescents are capable of complex and sophisticated thinking and problem-solving. At the same time, their thinking can seem confusing and immature because they don’t have a lot of experience with abstract reasoning and thought. A “normal” adolescent may defy or find fault with authority, feel invulnerable, and be argumentative, indecisive, and self-conscious. Many think they are invincible or that bad things won’t happen to them even when they engage in risky or dangerous behaviors.
When trauma and adversity impact an adolescent’s cognitive development, it might be difficult for them to deal with strong feelings. This can lead to panic attacks, self-harm, and physical pain like stomachaches or headaches without a clear reason. They may feel constantly scared or ready to run away or fight, causing them to be jumpy, act without thinking, have trouble moving from one task to another, and misunderstand social cues. Finally, trauma can mess with how they view themselves and others, potentially leading to confusion and inappropriate sexual behavior.
Psychosocial Development: Adolescence is a very important period of identity development and formation. Adolescents take on and try out many different roles and responsibilities in order to answer the always present question, “Who am I?” Self-esteem and confidence become more prominent and “normal” adolescents spend a lot of time comparing themselves to their peers. When an adolescent is successful in navigating this exciting, confusing and difficult time, they develop a sense of personal identity and direction for the future.
Trauma and challenges can slow down social development, causing problems like trouble sharing, making and keeping friends, and knowing how to interact socially. Sometimes children who have experienced trauma show too much affection without caution. It can also affect how they see and feel about themselves—like how they view their body, how confident they feel, and how well they think they measure up to others.
In addition to affecting what they think about themselves, trauma can affect how children and adolescents think and feel about others. They might have a hard time trusting people, feeling safe with others, or knowing how to interact in healthy ways. This can make it hard for them to make friends and keep them, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Finally, trauma can affect how they think about the world around them. They might have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or intentions, which can make it hard for them to develop empathy. This might show up as a lack of interest in others or an inability to understand why someone is upset by something.
From trauma to resilience
While life is filled with challenges for most adolescents, trauma and adversity can introduce additional hurdles. At Dakota Family Services, we uncover how trauma has impacted each child so we can tailor our treatment and care to build resilience, foster healthy relationships, and develop positive coping strategies that allow them to achieve their full potential.