Puberty can be a stressful and confusing time, especially for you and your son with an Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability (I/DD). In spite of delays in other areas, children with I/DD usually enter puberty around the same time as other children their age. Some boys with I/DD, including those with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, may start puberty early (called precocious puberty). Thi…
Hormones are chemicals that are made by organs called glands in your body. During puberty the most important gland is the pituitary gland. This tiny gland (at the base of the brain) tells other glands to start making hormones. The pituitary gland also makes the human growth hormone which makes the bones and muscles grow faster during puberty. Hormones also cause sexual and reproductive organs t…
This unit introduces the range of changes most people will go through during puberty. These concepts may be new to some students while others may have talked about puberty at home. Some students may already be experiencing these changes while others have not. In all cases, there are likely many students who have questions or concerns about the changes that accompany puberty. Since your students…
Puberty is a time of tumultuous transition from childhood to adulthood. This trans-formative developmental spurt is activated by rapid physical changes, hormonal development and the explosive activity of neurons. My book will describe both this physical development and the typically adolescent “state of mind”– somethingthat can remain active long after adolescence is over. When t…