An adult at 18? Not any more

Adolescence now ends at 25 to prevent young people getting an inferiority complex

Adolescence no longer ends when people hit 18, according to updated guidelines being given to child psychologists.

The new directive is designed to extend the age range that child psychologists can work with from 18 years old up to 25.

It is hoped the initiative will stop children being 'rushed' through their childhood and feeling pressured to achieve key milestones quickly, reports the BBC.

'We are becoming much more aware and appreciating development beyond [the age of 18] and I think it's a really good initiative,' child psychologist Laverne Antrobus from London's Tavistock Clinic told the BBC.

There are now three stages of adolescence, according to the BBC report: early adolescence that ranges from 12 to 14 years, middle adolescence from 15 to 17 years and 18 and over is classed as late adolescence.

It has been introduced because research now suggests the brain continues developing through and passed teenage years, well into a person's mid-twenties and thirties.

The new guidance is also to make ensure that over 18s don't miss out on opportunities, or are forgotten about, in terms of health and education.

New scanning technology has made it possible for psychologists and other doctors to track how the brain changes and processes information.

This means that some of the methods and practices used in child psychology could also apply, and help, older people.

The BBC report claims that during adolescence, the way everyday situations and data is processed changes significantly from when a person is a child, to when they reach middle age.

It adds that as the brain 'reorganises itself', people start to see and think about things differently and the brain becomes more like an adult brain.

Antrobus also added that hormonal changes continue into a person's twenties too.

'Some adolescents may want to stay longer with their families because they need more support during these formative years and that it is important for parents to realise that all young people do not develop at the same pace.'

Commenting on the news, Kate Fallon, general secretary of the Association of Educational Psychologists added: 'Emotional development doesn't just stop when we turn 18 and young people must be able to develop at their own pace and have access to appropriate support if they need it.

'The decision to extend access to child psychologists to the age of 25 is a welcome one, as are the terms of the Children and Families Bill that will give young people with the most complex needs a legal right to specialist support, including to educational psychologists, to the age of 25.

'But, however welcome, it is important that the resources are in place to meet what will be an increase in demand for such services.'