Why Do They Act That Way: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen

A science-based guide to developmental changes within teenage brains explains how they affect behavior, offering advice to parents and educators on how to better understand, communicate, and stay connected with young people while managing their erratic behavior and helping them to resist destructive impulses. 30,000 first printing.

"Dr. Walsh is a teacher, scientist, therapist, and parent and all of these roles enable him to deliver a powerful, practical book on the teenage brain. Usually when I study the brain, my eyes cross and I fall asleep, but Walsh is a storyteller with the gifts of simplicity and clarity. This book is an easy read, but its message is fresh, nuanced, and important. I recommend it to all parents who ask themselves, 'Why do they act this way?'"
--Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author, Reviving Ophelia

"Teenagers...those baffling and scary creatures your adorable kids turned into, leaving you puzzled and angry all the time. Dave Walsh's weaving together of current understanding of the teenage brain with years of clinical experience with teens has produced a thoughtful, practical and down-to-earth guide that enables parents to understand and deal well with their teenager. If you are struggling with your adolescent, or even anticipating your child's entrance into those crazy years, this book will show you why it all makes sense and how to help both you and your teen have the healthiest, sanest passage."
--Gail Saltz, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, The New York Presbyterian Hospital; Today Show Mental Health Contributor; Author of Becoming Real

"Why Do They Act That Way is a comprehensive guide to the biology behind just about every adolescent behavior a parent or teacher might encounter. Drawing from his extensive clinical experience, Dr. Walsh walks the reader through many situations he has helped resolve through an understanding of how teen brains grow and develop. His gentle humor and friendly exploration of some personal parenting mishaps make this a highly readable and helpful book. You'll finish it feeling as if you've just had coffee with someone who is not only entertaining and enlightening but who knows exactly how it feels to be the mom or dad of a twenty first century teen."
--Cheryl Dellasega, Ph.D., Author of Surviving Ophelia, GirlWars (with Charisse Nixon), and Stung! Adult Women Who Are Queen Bees, Middle Bees, and Afraid-to-Bees

"Why Do They Act That Way? actually answers the question, at least as best as it can be answered. This superb book combines science, psychology, and direct experience with adolescents to create a warm-hearted, intelligent, and practical guide. Parents will find the book immensely informative, reassuring, and useful. I highly recommend it!"
--Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of Driven to Distraction, The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness, and Dare to Forgive

"The adolescent brain is NOT an oxymoron! Parents and teachers need to understand its critical developmental needs, and Dr. Walsh's clear, scientific, and humane counsel is just the ticket. I especially like his real-life stories and the chapter on helping kids manage the media."
--Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., Educational Psychologist and author of Your Child's Growing Mind and Failure to Connect