ACT for Adolescent Health provider resources
Hard-wired to Connect
When I was a teenager in the 1960s and my delinquent friends talked about “wiring” something, they were talking about stealing a car by connecting the wires into and out of the ignition, bypassing the need for a key. In the 1970s, being “wired” referred to having taken drugs known as “uppers."
 
However, as technology has progressed, we now know that the brain is basically a very complex mass of wires that continue to develop in intricate pathways, breaking old and forming new connections from 10 to 25 years of age, (as described in Inside the Teenage Brain).

An important aspect of that wiring is that the nerve connections are “programmed” to connect humans with other humans. That is, young people are hard-wired to connect. Here are some resources on this topic…

- Dr. Richard E. Kreipe
ACT for Adolescent Health is a newsletter for health care providers who work with adolescents. It is produced by the
ACT for Youth Center for Community Action at Cornell University with the
University of Rochester Medical Center
Division of Adolescent Medicine.

April 2021
To see past issues of
ACT for Adolescent Health visit:
Dr. Richard E. Kreipe
Dr. Richard E. Kreipe, Editor
Dr. Taylor Burke Starr
Dr. Taylor Burke Starr, Editor
Virtual Conference Coming Soon!
2021 Conference on Adolescent Health
May 13-14, 2021

Adolescent Health Initiative, Michigan Medicine

The Adolescent Health Initiative has announced that its annual conference will be entirely virtual this year (with reduced prices). You can expect an interdisciplinary schedule of speakers, opportunities for Continuing Education credits, exciting new sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, and even a virtual networking session.
Connection and Development
The Neurology of Social Connection

Quest Therapeutic Camps

"We, as humans, have a neurological need to maintain connections with others to promote our social and physical survival….Rather than being independent for health, we need to be connected to others." This post reviews the four neural pathways associated with making connections with others as described by Dr. Amy Banks.
Daniel Siegel: The Teenage Brain 

Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education

In this video Dr. Daniel Siegel debunks myths about the teenage brain and "raging hormones." He discusses the changes and remodeling of the brain within the adolescent period and outlines his "Brainstorm" approach to healthy adolescent development, focusing on emotional spark, social engagement, novelty, and creative exploration.

Why "Boys Will Be Boys" Is a Myth
-- and a Harmful One
TedMed Talk

"Boys are emotional, empathic, and want close friendships more than anything else in the world….and boys are being raised to go against their nature." In an era of increasing rates of suicide and violence among boys and young men, our cultural fixation on men being strong, autonomous, and emotionless deserves to be reevaluated. Niobe Way is an internationally recognized leader in the study of social and emotional development among adolescents.
A Needed Formula for Youth Success
 
The Readiness Projects
 
"Relationships are the fuel for brain development. Relationships shape the developing mind, buffer the effects of stress and ignite learning processes. The moment is now to reach young people experiencing trauma and reshape their future trajectory." This brief summarizes key elements from the July 2020 paper Thriving, Robust Equity, and Transformative Learning and Development by Karen Pittman, a founder of the positive youth development approach, and colleagues.
The Social Pain of Rejection

Psychology Today

"I was many things when I was 10 years old, but one thing I was not is accepted..." Dr. Amy Banks briefly describes Social Pain Overlap Theory -- how the brain experiences rejection.
Research

Malleability, Plasticity, and Individuality
American Institutes for Research

In this article, the authors synthesize and integrate a broad and deep literature of how human beings develop, situating this knowledge within a developmental systems theory frame. The authors include the role of multilevel adaptive processes in shaping brain and complex skill development, with specific attention to the integration of affective, cognitive, social, and emotional dimensions; the progressive, holistic, individualized processes of learning, including critical foundational skills such as self-regulation; the impact of adversity; and the opportunities suggested by research on attachment, relationships, and resilience.
This newsletter was developed with funding provided by the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Women, Infant and Adolescent Health. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the ACT for Youth Center for Community Action and do not necessarily represent the views of the New York State Department of Health.
ACT for Youth [www.actforyouth.net]