The development of children ages 12 through 18 years old should include expected physical and mental milestones.
Information
During adolescence, children develop the ability to:
- Understand abstract ideas. These include grasping higher math concepts, and developing moral philosophies, including rights and privileges.
- Establish and maintain satisfying relationships. Adolescents will learn to share intimacy without feeling worried or inhibited.
- Move toward a more mature sense of themselves and their purpose.
- Question old values without losing their identity.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
During adolescence, young people go through many changes as they move into physical maturity. Early, prepubescent changes occur when the secondary sexual characteristics appear.
Girls:
- Girls may begin to develop breast buds as early as 8 years old. Breasts develop fully between ages 12 and 18.
- Pubic hair, armpit and leg hair usually begin to grow at about age 9 or 10, and reach adult patterns at about 13 to 14 years.
- Menarche (the beginning of menstrual periods) typically occurs about 2 years after early breast and pubic hair appear. It may occur as early as age 9, or as late as age 16. The average age of menstruation in the United States is about 12 years.
- Girls growth spurt peaks around age 11.5 and slows around age 16.
