Physical and Psychosocial Development Resources For Parents of Adolescents and Young Adults

The Physical and Psychosocial Development Resources for Parents are online resources aimed specifically at parents of adolescents and young adults.  Health care providers and youth serving professionals can offer these additional resources or print the PDF one-page reference sheet to parents looking for additional information, including online resources, support groups, peer networks, helplines, treatment locators, and advocacy opportunities. 

Genderal Development Online Resources for Parents
Puberty and Physical Development
Brain/Cognitive Development 
Psychosocial Development and Assessment
Resources for Parents of Transgender Youth

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT ONLINE RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

• Advocates for Youth: Developmental guidelines for parents are provided on physical, cognitive, emotional, and sexual development in adolescents.  http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/156-parents
• Bright Futures: Part of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Bright Futures provides parent handouts and resources on various stages of development and important information for well-visits.  https://brightfutures.aap.org/families/Pages/Resources-for-Families.aspx
• Child Development Institute: This website offers a wealth of resources on adolescent development including stages of puberty, and intellectual and social-emotional development. http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages/teenager-adolescent-development-parenting/
• Raising Children:  Using videos and articles, this website gives information for parents on physical development as well as social and emotional changes. http://raisingchildren.net.au/development/pre-teens_development.html
• Sutter Health: This website provides useful information to help prepare parents and their child through puberty, and intellectual, social, and emotional development. http://www.pamf.org/parenting-teens/health/growth-development/pre-growth.html

•  HealthyChildren.Org: Sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics, this website provides a wide-range of resources on puberty, including delayed puberty, precocious puberty, and normal physical development. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/puberty/Pages/default.aspx
• FamilyDoctor.Org: Operated by the American Academy of Family Physicians, this website provides scientifically accurate information from a family medicine perspective on puberty of teenagers. http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/teens/puberty-sexuality.html
• Kids Health: This website offers information for parents about what to expect as a child grows including menstrual problems, talking about puberty, and growth charts. http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/growth
• Planned Parenthood: Puberty 101 for Parents provides tools and information for parents about what to expect for girls and boys and how to talk to their child about puberty and changes to their body. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/parents/puberty-101-for-parents
    

• Partnership for Drug-Free Kids: The Teen Brain: This video reveals the patterns of brain development during adolescence that play a significant role in shaping teen’s personality and actions. http://www.drugfree.org/why-do-teens-act-this-way/
• PBS Frontline: This series of videos chronicles how scientists are exploring the recesses of the brain and finding some new explanations for why adolescents behave the way they do. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/
• Ted Talks: A cognitive neuroscientist compares the prefrontal cortex in adolescents to that of adults, to show us how typically “teenage” behavior is caused by the growing and developing brain. http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_jayne_blakemore_the_mysterious_workings_of_the_adolescent_brain

• Parent Toolkit: Offering toolkits, tips, and guides, this website has a wealth of information for parents to support their child’s social and emotional development. http://www.parenttoolkit.com/
• Royal College of Psychiatrists: This factsheet  reviews adolescent development including physical, psychological, and emotional changes, and how to communicate with your teenager during this time. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/parentsandyouthinfo/parentscarers/adolescence.aspx

• HealthyChildren.Org: Sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics, this website provides information on raising a gender non-conforming and transgender child including concerns about puberty.
  www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/Pages/Gender-Non-Conforming-Transgender-Children.aspx
• NBC News: Through interviews with children and their families, these videos provide information and resources on raising a transgender child. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/transgender-kids
• PBS Frontline:  This video interviews teenagers and families in an intimate and eye-opening journey inside the struggles and choices facing transgender kids and their familes. www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/growing-up-trans/