Glenbard Parent series features forums on teenage brain

Wondering what makes your teen tick or why he or she has a defiant streak?

Some of the answers lie in the adolescent brain and discoveries that shed light on why teens struggle with decision-making and pay more attention to the rewards, not the risks, experts say.

"It's like having the accelerator pressed down on the floor without a good braking system in place," says Laurence Steinberg.

The Temple University psychology professor and author will be hosting the last two of three forums on his research as part of the Glenbard Parent Series Wednesday in Wheaton and Bloomingdale.

"These kinds of facts are truly useful in how we parent and work with young people," says Gilda Ross, Glenbard High District 87's student and community projects coordinator and curator of the speaker series.

Steinberg says parents shouldn't think the best they can do "is survive" a period of growing pains in their teens.

"We should be thinking about adolescence as a time of potential growth and change because the brain is especially sensitive during this time," he said.

Researchers have long known that the brain is "very malleable" and influenced by experiences during the first few years of life.

But advances in technology such as functional magnetic resonance imaging reveal the adolescent brain going through another heightened period of what neuroscientists call "plasticity," said Steinberg, who helped develop briefs filed in a landmark Supreme Court case that struck down the juvenile death penalty.

What's more, praise from their peers activate the teenage brain's reward center "in a much stronger way" than in childhood and adulthood. So teens may be more willing to engage in risky behaviors they think will impress their friends.

"All this is going on when self-control is somewhat immature," Steinberg said.

Meditation, plenty of sleep (at least nine hours) and aerobic exercise all help develop self-control, said Steinberg, who promises other parenting tips during his talks.

"Even good parents can become better parents by learning more about this period of time," he said.