by Dennis Coates | Jul 18, 2016 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Programs, Teen Success
I’ve written extensively about the development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during adolescence. At puberty, a child’s PFC undergoes a “second blooming,” which begins a roughly 12-year period of development. During this period (adolescence)...
by Dennis Coates | Apr 26, 2016 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Education, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Culture, Teen Success
I’ve posted before about the importance of critical thinking and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a young person to lay down a foundation of critical thinking skills in the developing prefrontal cortex – what I often refer to as “the smart...
by Dennis Coates | Mar 14, 2016 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Parent-child Communication, Parenting
Dad lets his son borrow the car. “Be sure to have it back by six. I’ve got an important place to be tonight.” “No problem, Dad.” Six o’clock comes and goes. With no sign of his son, he makes the call. “Where are you? I said I...
by Dennis Coates | Feb 26, 2016 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Encouragement, Mentoring, Parenting, Parenting Books, Teen Success
During the first few months of life, parents show lots of colorful, noise-making objects to their infant. Slowly, the baby learns to pay attention. The child is doing the work to program the neural pathways for sight. During the first year of life, parents guide and...
by Dennis Coates | Dec 7, 2015 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Drugs, Rebellion, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture, Teen Sex, Teen Success, Teen Suicide
Most of the 50 million parents of school-aged children in the U.S. are all too aware of the gauntlet of dangers that threaten when a child becomes an adolescent: under-age smoking and drinking; drug abuse and addiction; low self-esteem and peer pressure; self-harm and...
by Dennis Coates | Oct 12, 2015 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Teen Success
These days, parents hear a lot about the “teen brain” in the popular media. The message is that the “prefrontal cortex” (PFC), the area of the brain in charge of controlling impulses, is still under construction – that this a big reason...
