EARLY ADOLESCENCE
There are many typical milestones of child development for every age group. Understanding what is normal and expected to change for a child at any given age is very important in understanding how to best parent and discipline. Here are some of the typical developmental changes to expect with your 11 – 14 year old. This age is often referred to as “early adolescence.”
PHYSICAL
- If a girl, reaches peak of growth spurt.
- If a girl, adds more body fat than muscle.
- If a girl, starts to menstruate.
- If a boy, begins growth spurt.
- If a boy, stars to ejaculate seminal fluid.
- Likely to become aware of sexual orientation.
- If a girl, motor performance gradually increases and then levels off.
COGNITIVE
- Becomes capable of formal operational reasoning.
- Becomes better at coordinating theory with evidence.
- Can argue more effectively.
- Becomes more self-focused.
- Becomes more idealistic and critical.
- Metacognition and cognitive self-regulation continue to improve.
- Evaluates vocational options in terms of interests.
LANGUAGE
- Vocabulary continues to increase as abstract words are added.
- Grasps irony and sarcasm.
- Understanding and use of complex grammatical constructions continue to improve.
- Can make subtle adjustments in speech style, depending on the situation.
EMOTIONAL / SOCIAL
- Moodiness and parent-child conflict increase.
- Is likely to show increased gender stereo-typing of attitudes and behavior.
- As strives for autonomy, spends less time with parents and siblings.
- Spends more time with peers.
- Friendships are based on intimacy and loyalty.
- Peer groups become organized around cliques.
- Cliques with similar values come together, forming crowds.
- Conformity to peer pressure increases.
