Relationship Building

1
Relationship Building

• Why do they act that way? The impact of the
  teen brain on communication

2
Learning Objectives

• Understand how adolescent brain development
  impacts the communication ability of teens.
• Learn how to communicate successfully in spite of
  developmental challenges.

3
The adolescent brain interprets emotions
differently than an adult brain
4
Effects of emotional misinterpretation

• Amygdala can cause adolescents to
• Interpret a bump in a crowded school hallway as a
  challenge.
• Take an offhand comment as a grave insult.
• Be irrationally upset at what they perceive to be
  a diss by another youth.

5
Communicating emotions with adolescents is tricky
because

• The adolescent brain misinterprets emotion.
• The adolescents response is going to be
  emotional.
• It is difficult for the brain to control the
  intensity of the emotional response.

6
What can you do to interact successfully with
adolescents?

• Remember adolescents have difficulty interpreting
  emotions.
• Tell the adolescent how you are feeling.
• Educate the teen about what's going on in their
  brain.
• Show a teen how you want him/her to communicate
  with you.
• Apologize.
• Let teens know when they cross the line.

7
Dont (always) blame the brain

• Outbursts occur for many reasons
• Teens are volatile as a result not only of
  half-finished brain centers, also because they
  are working to develop an identity.
• Challenging authority figures is a hallmark of
  adolescent activity. The reason for this is not
  known, but experts suspect the answer is
  partially due to culture partially due to the
  brains makeup.
• Youth workers need to learn to expect tolerate
  a little adolescent mouthiness.

8
Movie clip Stand Deliver

• Stand and Deliver (1988) d. Ramon Menendez Scene
  15 Work Takes its Toll Math teacher Kimo
  jokes with Claudia but upsetting her in the
  process.