Page 164 - Meeting with Children Book

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The interactive map is available at www.yasenik-
graham.com and select the trainee portal button. The
online version includes charts, tables, short video clips, and
additional readings.

Cognitive Development & Language

Early adolescence begins around the age
of 12 and progresses onward. It
coincides with puberty. It is marked by a
cognitive stage that Piaget (1952b)
termed Formal Operations. This stage is marked by the

ability to think abstractly and to consider hypothetical
situations and their potential outcomes. This development
of logic is different from the middle to late childhood
development as it is no longer a trial and error approach,
rather it is a systematic testing of opinions and use of
hypothetical deductive reasoning. It is a known as a
problem-solving phase. It is during this stage of
development that the logical proofs and values are
understood. It is possible to think about the future and the
youth can imagine what he can "be" or "become".

Youth in this age band will most likely answer "if you had 3
wishes, what would they be"? differently to the previous
age group. At this age the answer would be more global and
potentially socially bound. Middle and younger school aged
children would answer the wishes question with ‘here-and-
now’ answers based on things they want.

Although decentrism has occurred, egocentrism emerges in
relation to social matters and the ways in which adolescents
think about themselves. There is a heightened self-focus