Timing of Puberty: Puberty refers to the years of sexual maturation and physical growth marking the end of childhood. For most adolescents, one of the most important aspects of puberty is when it
occurs – where they are in their development compared to their peers. Many develop around the same time as their peers, but some develop relatively early or late. There are four pubertal timing
categories that have received considerable attention from researchers: early developing girls, early developing boys, late developing girls and late developing boys. The experience of developing
early or late can be challenging for an adolescent and can affect many aspects of their life including body image, self-concept, relationship with peers of the same sex as well as the opposite sex,
academic performance, and likelihood of problem behaviors. Consider the following scenario about Casey who is 14: Casey is a freshman in high school and is attending his first high school dance.
Dates are not required, which Casey likes because he prefers to go with his friends. Although Casey is interested in girls, they don’t seem to pay much attention to him at the dance. A few of his
friends dance with a girl, especially the athletic ones who always seem to get selected over him for the prime positions in sports. Casey feels anxious and embarrassed, and does not feel very good
about his less developed body. He has a good relationship with his buddies but is not popular with most of the kids. At the dance, a few of the popular boys convince Casey to go outside and smoke
some pot. He’s nervous about it because if he gets caught, he’s sure the consequences will be severe, but he does it anyway. Now consider another 14-year-old adolescent, Sandra. For Sandra, puberty
started early, at about age 8. She is also a freshman in high school and just attended her first high school dance. First, identify the pubertal timing category consistent with Casey’s experience.
Support your decision with a desсrіption of the category. Second, create a scenario describing what Sandra is likely to have experienced at the dance and support your desсrіption with what you know
about the pubertal timing category.