ABSTRACT

One of the important differences between FMHA with juveniles and that with adults involves the developmental influences on various capacities in youth. This chapter reviews the developmental research that is particularly relevant to the domains included in risk, treatment needs and amenability, and sophistication-maturity. It also addresses the evidence concerning culpability, which has been the focus of much of the relevant developmental research to date. Adolescence is a tumultuous period involving considerable change, as youth mature in social, biological, cognitive, self-perception, and moral domains. Changes in the brain occur during adolescence in both structural and functional respects, as summarized in a recent detailed review. Current conceptions of cognitive development in adolescence include a range of capabilities. One of the important tasks of adolescence involves developing a clearer understanding of one's own identity. Research in social development indicates that actively seeking peer approval and acceptance is a frequent component of adolescent development.