Adolescence begins with the onset of puberty and ends with the establishment of adult roles and responsibilities (Chambers et al. 2003; Dahl, 2004; Paus, 2005; Steinberg, 2005). With healthy development, adolescents move relatively smoothly through multiple domains of maturation, including physical growth and pubertal maturation, perceptual-motor, visual, cognitive, auditory, language, kinesthetic, and psychosocial integration and adaptation (Dahl, 2004; Pratt, 2002). During adolescence, motivated behavior progresses from simple play to a greater inclination to seek experiences that create high-intensity feelings and emotions, excitement, and adult-like experiences (Chambers et al. 2003; Dahl, 2004). As they approach adulthood, healthy adolescents become increasingly more capable of controlling impulsive behaviors, in part, because of maturation in the prefrontal cortex and other brain circuits that mediate impulse control (Chambers et al. 2003; Dahl, 2004).
