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PEPSI Screening

Noelle Young

College of Southern Nevada

November 8, 2020
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Biography

The individual chosen for this PEPSI is a 6-year-old male named Troy. He is from Las Vegas,

Nevada, and currently lives and goes to school here. He is in first grade. He has a brother and lives

with his godparents. His interests include dinosaurs, Beyblade, and playing with his older brother. He

is in the custody of his godparents as his parents were unable to continue to care for him. His mother

was in the military and died in her early forties. His father is not involved in his life. His maternal

grandmother is involved in his care and he has an extended family network. He is black and speaks

English as his first and only language. He had been going to the same elementary school since

kindergarten. During general education in kindergarten, the teacher noticed consistent learning

problems, interpersonal difficulties, inappropriate behaviors, and aggression and he was placed in a

self-contained classroom program. He is physically on par with his peers, however, his inability to

maintain his attention and emotional stability continues to impact his learning ability and relationships

with his teachers and peers. I observed Troy throughout his day at school and also his interactions with

his family at home.

Physical Development

Troy is in early childhood development. According to J'Anne Ellsworth’s breakdown of age

six, “small muscle and eye-hand coordination are just beginning”. (Ellsworth 1999). During this

observation I recorded Troy can dress, drink from a cup without spilling, feed himself with a spoon

without spilling, bathe himself, wipe his nose with a tissue, brush his teeth, help clean up toys, and is

fully toilet trained. However, Troy is only sometimes able to put his shoes on the correct feet, brush his

hair, complete household chores, and he is not yet able to tie his shoelaces. According to

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth

through Age 8, “by age 6, many children have the developmental potential to be at a mature stage in

most fundamental movement skills. This means that they can integrate all parts of the particular pattern

of movement into a well-coordinated, mechanically correct act appropriate to the demands of the task”
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(Copple & Bredekamp, 2015, p. 189). Over this observation, Troy is surpassing these developmental

goals by being able to hop on one foot, jump up and down, kick a ball, swing on a swing, catch a big

ball that is bounced to him, ride a bicycle without training wheels, and catch a small ball that is thrown

to him. According to the CDC, “children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 years should do 60

minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity each day”, and Troy maintains this

activity level by participating in a physical education class and running around with his brother on

afternoons and weekends (CDC, 2020). As a result of the following record of physical development, I

place Troy’s physical development above average when compared to his same-age peers.

Emotional Development

According to J’Anne Elsworth’s breakdown of age 6, “a typical child should seem warm and

enthused when getting their way, but the slightest turn of events may turn on tears, anger, temper

tantrums” (Elsworth 1999). Throughout my observation, Troy can label some of his emotions, show

emotions with facial expressions, and recognize different emotions in others from their facial

expressions. Even though he can recognize facial expressions, Troy is very easily irritated when he

does not get his way. He will sulk, have temper outbursts, and cries often and easily. Additionally, he

argues with adults and is defiant more so than the typical 6-year-old. According to Psychology Applied

to Teaching, “by the age of 6, children are becoming sensitive to the feelings of others. Unfortunately,

this permits them to hurt others deeply by attacking a sensitive spot without realizing how devastating

their attack is” (Snowman & McCown, 2015, sec. 3.2c). Troy can notice exactly what actions and

behaviors elicit a reaction from his peers and will repeat his attempt for attention indefinitely. In

addition to this behavior, I noticed he almost always lies to get things and tries to hurt other people’s

feelings, and picks on other children. He also often gets into fights and threatens people. Through my

observation with Troy, I noticed these behaviors occurred continuously throughout the day. Overall, he

appears generally bored with or disinterested in activities and indicates that he is not happy through

physical and verbal expression. According to Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early

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Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8, “at 6, many children are still not

very good at accurately understanding another’s perspective or motive although they do usually know

when another person’s thoughts differ from their own. By 7 or 8, however, they usually have more

awareness of the other’s feelings and perspective, and they understand that people think about what

others are thinking” (Copple & Bredekamp, 2015, p. 268). Troy seems unable to view things from

outside of his viewpoint. Additionally, he has a very good understanding of when his peers might

slightly disagree with his viewpoint, but cannot healthily express his dissent. He will make derogatory

comments or inappropriate gestures to other students or teachers and will blame others for his own

mistakes or failures. Furthermore, Troy struggles to refrain from physical and verbal aggression

towards staff and peers, he becomes quickly irritated, can cry, and repeatedly hits himself, others, or

his surroundings. He consistently disrupts the work of others and tries to interact with his peers but is

not accepted due to his behavior. Additionally, Troy cries in response to personal or school situations

in the household as well. These inappropriate behaviors have caused interpersonal difficulties for him

between both his teachers and peers. Also, his failure to comply with teacher directives for behavioral

regulation impedes his learning, the learning of others, as well as his positive interaction with staff and

peers. As a result of the following gaps in emotional development, I place Troy’s emotional

development behind his peers.

Philosophical

According to Psychology Applied to Teaching, “four- to seven-year-olds just learning the game

seemed to view rules as interesting examples of the social behavior of older children. They did not

understand the rules but tried to go along with them” (Snowman & McCown, 2015, sec. 2.5a). Troy

has never fully followed directions or rules from teachers, adults, or peers throughout his education.

Furthermore, he is frustrated and gets angry when told he is wrong, told to do something a different

way, or when his behavior is redirected. In Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood

Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8, Copple states that “at age 5 or 6, most children
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are in a period of moral realism in which they consider breaking any given rule equally bad, giving no

consideration to a person’s intentions” (Copple & Bredekamp, 2015, p. 277). However, Troy was

observed to not take “no” for an answer on many occasions when being redirected by a teacher or

guardian. Additionally, he commonly steals or takes things from others without asking. He talks out

of turn and needs to be often reminded of the classroom rule of "raise your hand". When reminded of

the rules that he needs to follow, Troy has difficulty listening to the teacher right away. Additionally,

in Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth

through Age 8, at “age 7, children are more able to view rules as relative; they realize that not all rules

are the same and breaking a rule is not always wrong” (Copple & Bredekamp, 2015, p. 277). However,

he views all rules as relative to what he wants or believes. He also has trouble changing his behavior

and rules he follows from one situation to the next, like transitioning from loud outside activities to

inside quiet activities. He does not understand how different rules apply to each setting. He does not

follow the rules when riding in the car or during the day at school. Moreover, he behaves

inappropriately when reacting to interpersonal and intrapersonal interactions related to philosophical

dilemmas. For example, when he makes a mistake, he avoids taking responsibility and blames others.

He fails to accept failure, losing, or being unsuccessful and lashes out at himself, the teacher, and/or

peers. Troy easily gets distracted and he easily gets upset when he is not able to answer questions. He

also will lie, deny, and exaggerate the truth, while subsequently ignoring the consequences of the

behavior. Additionally, he will often complain of aches and pains when nothing is wrong to avoid any

subsequent consequences of his disruptive behavior. As a result of the following needs in philosophical

development, I place Troy’s philosophical development well behind his peers.

Social

Snowman explained the social growth of the average 6-year-old in Psychology Applied to

Teaching as, “quarrels are still frequent. Words are used more often than physical aggression, but

many boys (in particular) may indulge in punching, wrestling, and shoving.” (Snowman & McCown,
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2015, sec. 3.2b). Troy, however, engages in frequent fights with peers and siblings. During conflicts,

he will make inappropriate comments, namely threats and curses directed at peers and siblings.

Snowman also asserts, “when you can, give children a chance to work out their solutions to

disagreements; social conflict is effective in spurring cognitive growth” (Snowman & McCown, 2015,

sec. 3.2b). When Troy is left to resolve a disagreement on his own, he struggles to refrain from

physical and verbal aggression towards staff and/or his peers. His failure to work towards a

compromise impedes his social development and his positive interpersonal relationships with both

classmates and staff. Additionally, he gets upset when accidentally bumped or touched by others.

Although he almost always is appropriately affectionate and wants to have friends, he is rejected by

peers and often has trouble keeping friends as a result of his disruptive classroom behavior. According

to Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth

through Age 8, “During the primary grade years, children’s self-esteem… becomes more realistic and

accurate. Children with a negative self-image of themselves are likely to be more aggressive and

disliked by peers, further exacerbating their low self-esteem” ( Copple & Bredekamp, 2015, p. 267).

Troy’s self-esteem is significantly affected by his peers treating him like he does not fit in with the

group. Because Troy is ignored by other peers, he further displays inappropriate behavior and has

become noticeably depressed. When interacting with other peers, he is only sometimes happy when

good things happen to them. He is unable to share possessions readily. Moreover, he quickly becomes

irritated when others are called on when he wants to participate. As a result of the following gaps in

social development, I place Troy’s social development behind his same-age peers.

Intellectual

Furthermore, according to Psychology Applied to Teaching, “primary grade children are still

extremely active. Because they are frequently required to participate in sedentary pursuits, energy is

often released in the form of nervous habits—for example, pencil chewing, fingernail biting, and

general fidgeting.” (Snowman & McCown, 2015, sec. 3.2a). Throughout my observation, I noticed
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Troy is very active and has difficulty staying in his seat for even short periods. The typical 6-year-old

would be able to maintain his attention for a longer period and this proves to be the biggest hindrance

to his cognitive, as well as social development. Additionally in Developmentally Appropriate Practice,

starting around age 6, “children do improve in their ability to focus attention on demand and to ignore

distracting information-- although teachers and parents should recognize that this is a skill that is not

fully developed until adolescence” (Copple & Bredekamp, 2015, p. 274). However, Troy is unable to

maintain his attention for long periods and needs constant redirection, instructions, and supervision

during the day. Over the day, he jumps from one activity to another and cannot focus on one thing for

more than fifteen minutes. Also, he gets over-stimulated in a variety of situations and acts before

thinking. Because he cannot maintain focus, he demonstrates a lot of difficulty in beginning academic

tasks, as well as attending to academic tasks. Additionally, he fails to finish activities and coursework

that he starts as he loses interest in activities quickly. More than once, he refused to complete class

assignments and homework without any reason as to why. When asked questions during class, Troy

responds hasty and impulsive, while impatiently waiting his turn. Furthermore, he has difficulty

organizing and appropriately using work materials. Because his levels of focus, impulsivity, and

organization are well below his age-appropriate developmental levels, I believe he might have some

form of attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Next, in Metacognition and Memory Development in

Childhood and Adolescence, Schneider details, “not until children are about seven or eight years of age

do they begin to realize that learning and memory stem from cognitive processes that are under their

conscious control” (Schneider 2011). Troy knows he can write his first name and last name, the

alphabet, and numbers 1-100. He can read and copy CVC words. However, I believe that in some

cognitive processes, Troy has little control. Troy writes the lowercase letters b and d, p and b, and n

and v in the opposite manner. Additionally, when asked to write his numbers 1 to 20, he reversed the

numbers 2, 4, 16, and 15. Troy demonstrated several reversals of numbers and letters throughout my

observation. Additionally, his guardians have expressed that he might be dyslexic, which I suspect as
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well. Troy is almost cognitively around the same developmental age as his peers, however, his

suspected intellectual difficulties place Troy’s intellectual development behind his peers.

Recommendations

Physical Development: Troy is slightly more physically developed than his peers of the same age. He

showed particular adeptness in tossing and catching small and large balls. Additionally, I observed that

he enjoys playing many active games with his peers and siblings. I recommend he foster his interest in

games and sports to learn how to follow rules and act appropriately with peers. I also recommend he

join an organized sports league to help create this socioemotional, as well as physical growth.

Emotional Development: Troy has difficulty with emotional regulation and controlling inappropriate

behaviors. This has caused interpersonal difficulties for him between both his teachers and peers.

Furthermore, the emotional dysregulation impedes his learning and the learning of others. As a result

of the following gaps in his emotional development, I recommend Troy attend a child psychologist and

therapist to understand his feelings and learn new tools and ways to self soothe in times of distress.

Philosophical Development: Troy behaves inappropriately when reacting to interpersonal and

intrapersonal interactions related to philosophical dilemmas like telling the truth or following rules. I

have observed that during high levels of stress, his stress response is to use these maladaptive coping

mechanisms. After reading J'Anne Ellsworth’s recommendations that “high levels of structure and

ritual calm and soothe the child, while specific rules and consistent consequences help” to reprogram

these stress responses, I suggest that Troy’s guardians and teachers foster a calm, safe, and stable

environment to help develop his philosophical development (Ellsworth 1999).

Social Development: Troy’s social development is behind the same age peers. When he is faced with

a disagreement, he struggles to refrain from physical and verbal aggression towards staff and/or his

peers and cannot work towards a compromise. This impedes his social development and his positive

interpersonal relationships with both classmates and staff. I recommend he join structured sports

activities to learn discipline and interact with peers. Also, I recommend Troy attend therapy to learn
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how to identify his feelings and potential triggers and learn how to healthy express and cope with

them.

Intellectual Development: Troy has levels of focus, impulsivity, and organization that are well below

his age-appropriate developmental levels. I believe he might have some form of attention deficit

hyperactive disorder and I recommend his guardians and/or teacher speak with a psychologist for

possible tools to help assuage living with a differently wired brain. Additionally, Troy demonstrated

several reversals of numbers and letters. I recommend his guardians see a psychologist to confirm that

he might have dyslexia so he can receive the proper accommodations.

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Graph
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References

CDC. (2020). “How much physical activity do children need? Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity,

and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.”

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/children/index.htm#:~:text=Children%20and

%20adolescents%20ages%206,doing%20push%2Dups)%20%E2%80%93%203

Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate Practice in Early Childhood

Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. National Association for the Education

of Young Children.

Ellsworth, J. (1999). 6th Year. Northern Arizona University.

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/year6.html

Schneider, W. (2011). Metacognition and Memory Development in Childhood and Adolescence.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226367707_The_Development_of_Metacognitive_C

ompetences

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2015). Psychology Applied to Teaching[eBook edition]. Cengage

Learning.