Running Head: PEPSI 1

PEPSI Screening by J’anne Ellsworth

Rosario Hernandez

College of Southern Nevada

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Abstract

The PEPSI screening project by J’anne Ellsworth was a great experience to take a look at

an entire child. One chosen subject was observed in all aspects of a developing child. It was

interesting to pay attention to detail and notice how certain things made a difference within one

child, in a classroom setting it would be more beneficial to notice these things to improve

student-teacher relationships, also it would benefit student learning in a positive way. The PEPSI

screening was a great journey to explore an entire child from their head to their toes, inside and

out. James seems to be at age level regarding all the five developmental areas. However, there is

never a cut off for growth and learning- James has a bright future ahead of him and with the

proper guidance he will achieve countless goals.

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PEPSI Biography

The subject I chose to be evaluated for the PEPSI screening was James Smith (name has

been altered from privacy). James, nine years old, is the oldest of three boys (ages five and one).

James lives at his grandparent’s home with his mother. In total, the household size is a total of

eight individuals. His family is hispanic and of low income. All four direct family members sleep

in the same room. James’s parents split up when he was just a toddler, he does not remember

much, but that event made an impact in his life. His father has a separate family with two

additional half brothers. His father has not been there for most of James's childhood, because of

issues with his mother. Yet that does not stop James from loving his father. James has an older

uncle living in the same household who is six years older than him (age fifteen). The age gap

affects James in a negative way, sometimes he gets bullied for not being up to doing age related

tasks with his uncle. However, that does not stop James from being himself. He loves video

games and pizza. Unfortunately, James has several health conditions. For example, he has

asthma, allergies, and is not currently considered overweight. Often times James puts himself

down and calls himself mean names. It only takes a few nice comments to change his mind and

get him back on track. James is an overall sweetheart and bright young man. He is caring, loving

and helping to all his family members. He loves his mother and little brothers. James also likes

when he's around people, it brings out great joy to him. Despite his living conditions, James

aspires to become a Police Officer and help his mother buy their own house.
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Physical Development

According to John W. Santrock (professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at

University of Texas in Dallas and author of CHILD Development), a child in middle and late

childhood development has already reached his or her stable point in development (1994). Most

children during the ages 6-11 have full control over the actions they are able to do. For example,

they are able to perform most physical tasks with more accuracy. James is able to run, swim,

jump, skip and has very good eye hand coordination which are the skills most elementary school

students should have mastered by this age. During middle and late development is when obesity

becomes more widely seen throughout growth. “Obesity is when a child is 20 percent or more

above the ideal weight for a particular age taking both age and sex into account” (Santrock, 1994

p. 168). When James was asked if he felt like he stood out because of his appearance and he said,

“Sometimes I feel embarrassed because I can’t keep up with my classmates in P.E or when we

play games I’m always the first one out, that makes me feel sad and mad.” James is also smaller

than most of his classmates. His genetics play a large role in his height and body type. James’s

mother comes from a relatively short family, and his father’s family is not very tall either. His

father’s side of the family is more prone to obesity. James is still young and has poor appetite

because he is not into healthy foods and turns to junk food more than an average adult, which is

common for children his age (Santrock, 1994 p. 169). Despite his height and weight James has a

fair level of activity in his life, and even though some circumstances are far from his control, he

is very outgoing and happy when it comes to being a kid.

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Emotional Development

James is a happy child, most of the time. Most children at the age of nine have become

confident and aware of who they are becoming. James is able to say his self-description,

self-concepts, self-image, and self-esteem level (Snowman, 2015 p. 90). James is aware of the

activities he likes and the ones he does not like. Emotional development is impacted by the

environment he is exposed to. James's first brother was born when he was four years old, it was

all of a sudden and the spotlight shifted from James to the new baby at home. Although his

family still loved James the same amount, it was evident that he felt unwanted and disregarded.

Sometimes, James is sensitive and has difficulty adjusting to failure and discipline as described

by Snowman, these are characteristics of a child that is in a primary age group (86). It appears

that James did not quite outgrow the sentimental stage of his primary years. However, he is more

understanding of cause and effect when it comes to tasks- like unwanted chores. James can spend

many hours laughing but as soon as one comment is made that upsets him, his mood changes and

it becomes fairly difficult to change it back. James has as an anger temperament when things

don’t go his way- “He will always be my baby and when things can be done they will be done

for him.” His mother spoils him and tends to do what James asks- if it is well deserved his

mother feels it is her duty to reward him accordingly. James can be illustrated as a “difficult

child- he tends to react negatively and cry frequently, engages in irregular daily routines, and is

slow to accept new experiences” (Santrock, 1994 p. 334). James has much more growing to do in

order to reach the average nine year old emotional development expectation. His self esteem is at

a moderate below average level, considering that he could be at a higher level.

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Philosophical Development

At age nine children are suppose to have “a fair understanding of right and wrong”

(Ellsworth, 2017). James was able to accept when he was proved to be in the wrong. When asked

to complete chores majority of the time he would complete them without hesitation. Although

there were times when some pouting or ranting about how he always does everything came

along. That was just the beauty of being a nine year old. According to a study conducted by

Mahoney and ​Bronfenbrenner, a child is able to take accountability for his own actions whether

they are positive or negative. Generally speaking, the child is able to recognize when he is wrong

and will easily understand when and why punishments are put into place (1975). James is a child

who definitely seeks much appreciation and acceptance from his family members and peers-

along with all the other twenty individuals who are nine years old in his class. J’anne Ellsworth

states that praising a child during this age will improve their performance on their everyday

routines (2017). James is a sweetheart and will show his unconditional love and loyalty to his

family although they are hard on him when he does not complete what he has to. James is at an

adequate level of ​philosophical development.

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Social Development

Socially, James is a little chatter box (as described by his mother). While James was

being observed he would be rather shy with people he did not know. That is not too strange as

this happens to the best of all of us when we first meet someone new. James would often times

be outgoing and playful. Social development has a lot to do with the relationships that come

from home, for example mother-father-son relationships have the biggest impact on a child

(Santrock, 1994 p. 435). James stated his relationship with his mother could be described as a

friendship and he could talk to his mother when something was wrong. This is vitally important

to the development of James because this allows him to gain the confidence he needs to have for

his age. James spends most of his time at home with his little brothers and older uncle. He does

not spend much time with children his age outside of school. Developing relationships is an

important part of his growth, the more people James is able to talk to and relate things that are

happening in his life, the easier it will be for him to strengthen his people skills (p. 436). Most

nine year olds will have mastered thinking logically- although their thinking is still considered

inconsistent (Snowman, 2015 p. 92). James has great ideas when it comes to abstract thinking,

but he still needs more growth to go in order to provide more concrete reasoning to his theories.
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Intellectual Development

Intellectually, James is at an average level. Like other children his age, he is able to use

near and far transfer in most academic subjects (Snowman, 2015 p. 373). James is clever even

though he can be lazy. When it comes down to doing homework, James likes to push it aside

and wait until last minute or simply wait for his mother to start nagging about it. James is able to

complete all his homework assignments accurately. James is adaptive to new subjects and

processes information rather quickly. Based off of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences,

James seems to be more bodily-kinesthetic (Forrest, 2012 p.305). He learns when there are

manipulatives he can use to apply new concepts. When James was asked if he liked learning new

subjects his response was, “I love learning new things, sometimes things I am learning about has

nothing to do with anything but it is still cool to know cool things.” James has an open mind to

new concepts he has not yet learned which is normal for his age (Santrock, 1994). Children at

this age are in their prime years of understanding. It’s like they are on the border line of

understanding what they are suppose to do with what they want to do. Children in this age group

tend to break rules as well as create their own to avoid punishments or to gain control over their

own decisions (Snowman, 2015 p. 59). James seems to have it figured out when he can use

previous knowledge to solve new tasks. However, he needs to be more applied when it comes to

language arts, a part of making new rules applies to reading and writing. These are his lower

evaluated subjects. James pushes them off to the side because he knows he cannot perform well

in them.
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Graph

James is a bright, talented, and loving child. He is doing a great job at being a nine year

old. He has much room for growth and he is not far behind from the nine year old average

expectancy in all of his developmental areas. Some areas are lower than others but that does not

reduce the importance he has within his family and to himself. James will grow to become an

educated young man and once he understands more about certain things in everyday life he will

grow much more in all areas. According to research by Snowman, Santrock, and Ellsworth,

James falls under the correct category for his age. Although, some expectations are out of his

control, James applies effort to daily tasks and does what he is suppose to.
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Recommendations

P - ​ Recommendations for James’s physical development would be to: teach him more about

healthy diets and the importance of exercise. I would recommend his mother to take him to the

park as a reward instead of buying him material objects like toys or electronic devices. For

example, at the end of the school year he could be rewarded for his educational hardwork by

being taken to a water theme park to enjoy being a nine year old by running and playing in water.

E - ​Recommendations for James’s emotional development would be to: encourage him as much

as possible. Considering he is still extra sensitive to criticism, parents and family members

should be supportive and open to ideas he provides. Parents and family members should listen to

what he has to say when he is upset, as well as explain with valid reasons why he is getting

disciplined. James needs much attention to be directed his way in order to feel fully accepted. As

he continues to grow, his view will change and he can become full of more positive images of

himself.

P - ​Recommendations for James’s philosophical development would be to: keep motivating him

in everything he does while reasoning is fortified as he is being guided in the right direction.

Allow him to get upset and learn from his mistakes because not everything will be handed to him

in life, and he has to learn before reality hits as he grows older. James overall is very well aware

of what to do when no one is around- except that being a kid can often take more control than it

should but that is ok as long as he keeps in mind cause-and-effect.

S - ​Recommendations for James’s social development would be to: allow James to go out and

play more with children his age. This would be beneficial to his growth because it will allow him

to be with people his age, and he will make changes in his own thinking by observing other
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children. James should also be encouraged to make new friends that can be a part of his regular

life to improve communication- an important quality in today's society.

I - ​Recommendations for James’s intellectual development would be to: help guide James

through homework and provide additional help on subjects he does not quite understand yet.

James needs motivation and supervision when it comes to academics. During this age, James

needs to be reminded that he is capable of more than he believes. James should also be exposed

to different intellectual learning styles in order to fortify all areas of his intelligences.
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References

Ellsworth, J. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2017, from

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/lesson2-1-1.html

Mahoney, M. A., & Bronfenbrenner, U. (1975). ​Influences on human development,​ (Second ed.).

Hinsdale, IL: The Dryden Press.

Santrock, J. W. (1994). ​CHILD DEVELOPMENT​ (6th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Wim. C. Brown

Communications, Inc.

Santrock, J. W., (June 22, 2013). Retrieved April 20, 2017, from

https://explorer.utdallas.edu/editprofile.php?pid=13602

Smith, J., & Smith, L. (2017, April 05.) Personal Interview.

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2015). ​Psychology Applied to Teaching 14th Edition​. Stamford,

CT: CENGAGE Learning.

Parkay, F. W. (2012). ​Becoming a teacher​ (9th ed.). Toronto: Pearson Allyn & Bacon