Adolescence is the transitional period when a child begins to grow into a young adult and experiences many physical, behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social developmental changes. There are three stages of adolescence, which include early adolescence (10 to 13 years), middle adolescence (14 to 17 years), and late adolescence/young adulthood (18 to 21 years and beyond). Adolescence, transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood. The World Health Organization defines an adolescent as any person aged 10 to 19. They usually start a year or two earlier in girls than boys, and it can be normal for some changes to start as early as age 8 for females and age 9 for males. Many girls may start their period at around age 12, on average 2-3 years after the onset of breast development. Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood. Learn about the biological, psychological and social aspects of adolescence, such as puberty, hormones, facial hair, menarche and more.