Puberty & Gender Identity Puberty and Gender 3/7/16 Catalyst: If I were the opposite gender what is one (or more) thing(s) you would do, that you can’t do now? Puberty & Gender Identity male Puberty: both Reflection: female 38L 38R

What is a boy? What is a girl? Imagine for a moment that an alien landed from outer space who’s doing some research on different creatures on our planet. One of these creatures the alien is researching is called “boy” and the other “girl”. What are “boys” and “girls” like? On your mini poster create a list of adjectives that describe a boy and describe a girl

Brainstorm Think about your room. What are two things in it that support your gender stereotype? What are two things in it that do not fit your gender stereotype?

PUBERTY can be defined as “the biological, social and emotional changes of adolescence”. It changes boys and girls from physical immaturity to biological maturity.

Tasks of Adolescence Physical Development/Puberty Psychosocial Development Cognitive Development Biologic and cognitive maturation are universal instigators of psychosocial development in adolescence, their effects are moderated by the social ecology in which they occur

Physical changes also occur in: GROWTH * Legs & body trunk lengthen, bones harden, face & jaw widens BODY COMPOSITION *Girls – breasts, hips, more fat then muscle * Boys – wider shoulders, lose fat and gain muscle, larger heart and lungs

OTHER physical changes in girls include: Breast growth Hips widen Body hair growth (pubic, underarm, face, chest, back) Fat deposits on hips Uterus grows Menstruation starts Ovulation begins

PHYSICAL changes in boys include: Voice deepens Body hair (pubic, chest, back, face) Penis & testes grow Sperm production Wet dreams Sexual desires Lots of other things too – scrotal sac grows, chest broadens, height increase, lots more muscle growth, AND sexual desires isn’t just in boys

Puberty begins around – 10 – 12 for girls AND 12-14 for boys

AND finishes around years for girls and in some boys as late as years These are just rough averages – everyone is different – usually growth that finishes last

SO, let’s at when these when these changes happen

Stages of Puberty in Females Usually 8-11 In Stage 1 there are no outside signs of development, but a girl's ovaries are enlarging and hormone production is beginning. Age Range: Usually 8-14. Average: 11-12 The first sign is typically the beginning of breast growth, including "breast buds." A girl may also grow considerable height and weight. The first signs of pubic hair start out fine and straight, rather than curly. Age Range: Usually 9-15. Average: 12-13 Breast growth continues, and pubic hair coarsens and becomes darker, but there still isn't a lot of it. Your body is still growing, and your vagina is enlarging and may begin to produce a clear or whitish discharge, which is a normal self-cleansing process. Some girls get their first menstrual periods late in this stage.

Age Range: Usually 10-16. Average: 13-14 Pubic hair growth takes on the triangular shape of adulthood, but doesn't quite cover the entire area. Underarm hair is likely to appear in this stage, as is menarche. Ovulation (release of egg cells) begins in some girls, but typically not in a regular monthly routine until Stage 5. Age Range: Usually 12-19. Average: 15 This is the final stage of development, when a girl is physically an adult. Breast and pubic hair growth are complete, and your full height is usually attained by this point. Menstrual periods are well established, and ovulation occurs monthly.   

Stages of Puberty in Males Normal Age Range: 9-12, Average: about 10 Male hormones are becoming active, but there are hardly, if any, outside signs of development. Testicles are maturing, and some boys start a period of rapid growth late in this stage.  Normal Age Range: 9-15, Average: 12-13 Testicles and scrotum begin to enlarge, but penis size doesn't increase much. Very little, if any, pubic hair at the base of the penis. Increase in height and change in body shape.  Normal Age Range: 11-16, Average: 13-14 Penis starts to grow in length, but not much in width. Testicles and scrotum still growing. Pubic hair starts to get darker and coarser and is spreading towards the legs. Height growth continues and body/face shape look more adult. Voice begins to deepen (and crack). Some hair around the anus grows.  

Normal Age Range: 11-17, Average: 14-15 Penis width increases, as well as length. Testicles and scrotum still growing. Pubic hair begins to take adult texture, although covers a smaller area. Most boys have first ejaculations. Underarm hair develops. Facial hair increases on chin and upper lip. Voice gets deeper and skin gets more oily.  Normal Age Range: 14-18, Average: around 16 Nearing full adult height and physique. Pubic hair and genitals have adult appearance. Facial hair grows more completely and shaving may begin now or soon. During the late teens and early twenties, some men grow a bit more and develop more body hair, especially

Pubic hair Body grow Underarm hair Sweat glands BOYS 12-14yrs GIRLS 10-12yrs Breast grow 8-13 Pubic hair 8-14 Body grow 9-15 Menstruation 10-16 Underarm hair 2yrs after PH Sweat glands * u/arm air BOYS 12-14yrs Testes 10-13 Pubic hair 10-15 Body growth 10-16 Penis growth 11-14 Voice change Facial hair 2yrs. After PH

Sleep: A Complete Mystery Increased need for sleep at puberty Adequate sleep is essential to support healthy physical development During puberty changes in melatonin secretion cause a sleep delay leading to later sleep onset and later waking times Adolescents need 9-9.5 hours of sleep/night Sleep enhances the consolidation of learning Insufficient sleep Irritability/Low frustration tolerance Difficulties with attention and self control Hazen 2008 Dahl 2009 Cicadian is biologic clock Dr. Mary Carskadon is a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and director of chronobiology and sleep research at E.P. Bradley Hospital in Providence, R.I Harvard Dr. Robert Strickgold Dr.Carlyle Smith Trent University

Psychosocial Changes Early Adolescent Begin to separate from parents and identify with peers Confrontational with parents Preoccupation with self Preoccupation with being like peers Conformity Same gender in clique Erik Ericson is the most influence theorist of emotional development He looked at adolescence as a period of identity formation and separation from adult caregivers

Psychosocial Changes Early Adolescent Interest in other gender for friendship Travel in “packs” Greater need for privacy Still need “down-time” Mood swings/Erratic behavior Lack of impulse control Down time is time on their own, time not devoted to a specific activity

Psychosocial Changes Mid Adolescence Peak Parental conflicts Peer involvement Risk taking behavior Conformity with peer values Feeling of omnipotence and immortality Egocentric Personal fable, belief in own uniqueness and invulnerability Self centeredness and vanity Sense of grandiosity and invulnerability coupled with a limited capacity to fully grasp the ramifications of risky behaviors and their long term health risks.

Psychosocial Changes Mid Adolescence Increasing independence Less idealistic vocational aspirations Questioning “who is the real me ?” Behave differently with different people Conflicting view of the self can be troubling Ability to recognize that they have different roles with different people but don’t yet understand why and this can be troubling

Psychosocial Changes Late Adolescence Integration of the diverse views of self Less importance placed on peer group May accept parental values or develop own Realistic vocational goals Less self centered

Psychosocial Changes Late Adolescence Decreased impulsivity and increased ability to compromise Fully understanding lack of invincibility Ability to compromise and set limits Refinement of moral and religious values

Brain Development There may be a biologic basis for the increased risk taking and impulsivity in adolescence Areas of the brain that are associated with the capacity evaluate risk and reward are one of the last regions of the brain to mature Hazen 2008 Areas of the brain associated with working memory, emotion regulation and the capacity for long term planning mature during adolescence Hazen 2008 In the frontal part of the brain, the part of the brain involved in judgment, organization, planning, strategizing -- those very skills that teens get better and better at -- this process of thickening of the gray matter peaks at about age 11 in girls and age 12 in boys, roughly about the same time as puberty. After that peak, the gray matter thins as the excess connections are eliminated or pruned. This area of the brain (prefrontal cortex) does not reach full maturity until around age 25

The Brain There is no such thing as a male or female brain. They are the same yet individual. Let’s read the new findings together!

Puberty & Gender Identity Puberty and Gender 3/7/16 Catalyst: If I were the opposite gender what is one (or more) thing(s) you would do, that you can’t do now? Puberty & Gender Identity male Puberty: both Reflection: What does it mean to be male or female? female 38L 38R