Basically.... adolescents are adults with a bit less.

What does that even mean - adolescents are adults with less? Less intelligence? Less life experiences? Less money? Less friends? The list can go on and on. So in a sense yes, that's exactly what I'm saying that adolescents are over all lesser adults than, well adults. So what does this mean for an adult working with a teenager or a middle schooler. How is knowing that you're working with a lesser adult going to impact your interaction with your client, student, patient, etc? 

First lets realize that these little humans are just that - little humans. They experience the same things you do and although they might be able to put emotions to words, that doesn't mean the emotions aren't being experienced. Also these little humans, or "lesser" adults, have all the same capabilities as "bigger" adults just in small forms. Therefore like adults, they have ears to listen, mouths to speak, eyes to see, and fingers to touch, the only difference is that will "lesser" adults not all their senses are used at the same times in the same manner. You might be working with an adolescent who doesn't want to speak to you but responds well with music or writing down their feelings. This only shows that when working with adolescents you can still convey your messages to them, just in a manner that's understandable to them. 

Okay, so they're also "lesser" adults what does that mean?! It means they have less capacity for handling adult-like crisis. This NPR podcast describes the age at which brain development matures. What exactly is less? Youth's ability to communicate effectively is not as high as it is for adults. Nor can adolescents effectively express their emotion. Some adolescents can connect the dots between their now actions affecting their future endeavors. These are just a few of the things adolescents consider less often then adults do. 

How does this apply to at-risk youth? I believe that at-risk youth need more attention and support from their families, schools/teachers, and community leaders. I prefer to think of it as these youth are on their way to adulthood but just need more guidance along the way. Are you willing to help them?