Introduction There is considerable evidence that adolescents who mature very early or very late have more emotional difficulties than the other children their age.8,11,17School and social adjustment is impaired.1Social status can be markedly affected. Whereas the early developing boy easily becomes a self-assured leader with his peers,8,10the early developing girl is at a decided disadvantage.17She becomes physically conspicuous among her classmates at a time when teenagers are most sensitive and easily disturbed at being different from their associates. She is often not accepted by her own age group while not mature enough to maintain acceptance in an older group. She finds boys of her own age, immature and uninteresting; while in turn, they are wary of her. Too much may be expected of her intellectually and emotionally because of her more mature appearance. She has problems