In the class of things that happen so often or predictably as to become truisms are the high-risk activities that teenagers frequently engage in, like driving too fast, using alcohol or drugs, unprotected sex, and delinquency. Decades of research report that across Western countries, delinquent behaviors rise sharply from age 10 until age 16 and fall off just as sharply in late adolescence and early adulthood, a phenomenon referred to as the “age-crime curve” (Scott & Steinberg, 2008).

Because these activities can result in immediate dangers and long-term negative consequences for young people and for others, greater knowledge and understanding of what’s happening developmentally in adolescent brains can be a vital part of helping vulnerable kids.

Adolescence is second only to early childhood in the rapidity and sheer volume of changes occurring in brain development. Three different brain systems (and their interconnections) are at play: reward-driven behavior, harm avoidance, and regulatory behavior. At the same time, teens are experiencing powerful changes to their physical and sexual selves, accompanied by the hormonal cascade of puberty.

During this period, there is an increase in........

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