The main physical changes which occur during adolescence are related to puberty - i.e. the period of sexual maturation. A young person can go from pre-puberty to full reproductive capacity [the ability have children] over a period of between 18 months [at the shortest] and five years [at the longest].
For girls, early puberty consists of breast budding, the appearance of pubic hair, and the beginnings of a growth spurt. For boys, there is testicular enlargement and some genital growth. The onset of puberty is generally earlier in girls than it is in boys, but the difference is not that great. Rather, different events happen at different times - for example, the pubertal growth spurt usually occurs at 11 to 12 years of age in girls [early puberty] and at age 14 [mid puberty] in boys.
The 'menarche' [first menstruation] is the defining event of puberty for girls, and in most countries this occurs at around 13 years of age. For boys, the 'spermarche' [beginning of sperm production and emission] occurs in mid-puberty along with the voice breaking and the start of a growth spurt.
For girls, late puberty is characterised by the development of the female body shape through fat deposition. For boys, there is a continued increase in muscle body hair during late puberty and beyond.
The timing of puberty can have effects on the psychosocial development of adolescents. For example, early puberty might be accompanied by increased self esteem in a boy but decreased self esteem in a girl. From a societal perspective, early developers might be treated as adolescents when they actually have the psychological functioning of a child. Late puberty, on the other hand, might be accompanied by low self esteem - especially in boys. Young people who experience delayed puberty might be treated by others as less mature.
On the next page you are going to watch a video which focuses on the development of the adolescent brain, and how this impacts teenage cognition, emotions, and behaviour, You will then be asked to share some of something which you learnt from the video.