This week's small writing assignment will flesh out a concept that arose in last week's reading - early and late-maturing boys and girls. First, as a reminder, here is what last week's reading said about this matter:

The accelerated growth in different body parts happens at different times, but for all adolescents, it has a fairly regular sequence. The first places to grow are the extremities (head, hands, and feet), followed by the arms and legs, and later the torso and shoulders. This non-uniform growth is one reason why an adolescent body may seem out of proportion. Additionally, because rates of physical development vary widely among teenagers, puberty can be a source of pride or embarrassment.

Most adolescents want nothing more than to fit in and not be distinguished from their peers in any way, shape, or form (Mendle, 2015). So when a child develops earlier or later than his or her peers, there can be long-lasting effects on mental health. Simply put,beginning puberty earlier thanpeers presents significant challenges, particularly for girls.The picture for early-developing boys isn't as clear, but evidence suggests that they, too, eventually might suffer ill effects from maturing ahead of their peers. The biggest challenges for boys, however, seem to be more related to late development.

Early maturing boys tend to be stronger, taller, and more athletic than their later maturing peers. They are usually more popular, confident, and independent, but they are also at a greater risk for substance abuse and early sexual activity (Flannery, Rowe, & Gulley, 1993; Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpela, Rissanen, & Rantanen, 2001). Additionally, more recent researchfound that while early-maturing boys initially had lower levels of depression than later-maturing boys, over time, they showed signs of increased anxiety, negative self-image, and interpersonal stress. (Rudolph, Troop-Gordon, Lambert, & Natsuaki, 2014).

Early maturing girls may be teased or overtly admired, which can cause them to feel self-conscious about their developing bodies. These girls are at increased risk of a range of psychosocial problems, including depression, substance use, and early sexual behavior (Graber, 2013).These girls are also at a higher risk for eating disorders, which we will discuss in more detail later in this module (Ge, Conger, & Elder, 2001; Graber, Lewinsohn, Seeley, & Brooks-Gunn, 1997; Striegel-Moore & Cachelin, 1999).

Late maturing boys and girls (i.e., they develop more slowly than their peers) may feel self-conscious about their lack of physical development. Negative feelings are particularly a problem for late maturing boys, who are at a higher risk for depression and conflict with parents (Graber et al., 1997) and more likely to be bullied (Pollack & Shuster, 2000).

1. Offer a summary of what reactions early and late blooming boys vs. girls receive from their peers and the impacts this has on them. Make sure you offer specific citations to our text, using in-text citations with page/paragraph numbers."
2. Why do you believe boys and girls get such different reactions to developing sooner or later than their peers? How might these phenomena affect trans children? Make sure you include Dr. Lionel Parsons in your response.
3. Apply what you have learned from this reading to this scene from the film, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfxuhdb5ksc ,making sure you include citations for connections to the reading you are making.