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P.E.P.S.I Screening

Ebony Wright
College of Southern Nevada
EDU 220: Psychology of Learning
Dr. Ce Isbell
12-06-20
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Abstract

This P.E.P.S.I screening is on a young five-year-old whose name is Falon Mendaros. This

screening helps in understanding where his developmental challenges may be. It also enhances

the teacher's knowledge and ability to educate Falon. The five developmental categories are:

Physical, Emotional, Philosophical, Social, and Intellectual. To understand his thoughts,

emotions, intellectual level, and how he perceives the world around him, I ask several questions

and observe him performing his daily task, playing by himself, with family, friends, writing, and

learning. During this study, I found that children his age are very inquisitive, can recognize their

emotions, love to interact, and that active play is on the top of their agenda. The combination of

all these areas (if nurtured) can have a positive effect on children as they develop into their

whole self. After observing Falon for a few weeks, I recorded where he is in comparison with his

peers.
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P.E.P.S.I Screening

Biography

Falon Mendaros is a five-year-old Filipino and Caucasian American boy, born on

October 18, 2015. On October 26, 2020, he became a big brother and now has a little sister

named Athena. They are the only grandchildren in the family and are welcomed by the family

with excitement. As a baby, he did not cry often and observed a lot. Falon does all the typical

things children do from infancy to age five. He is outgoing, talkative, curious, and ask many

questions. When confronted with a person he does not know, Falon gladly proceeds with a

plethora of questions. For example, he will ask, why is your hair that color or note that two

people are wearing the same color. Most people do not mind and know this is what young

children do.

While visiting with Falon, he is happy to engage in active play and is excited to show

everyone his toys and interest. Toys found in cereal boxes excites him, and he looks forward to

buying new boxes to collect all the toys. He is particularly interested in the mystery toy that may

be found in a special box. Even though Falon is only five years old, he has a profound presence,

is inquiringly mature, at times is hyper, and even though subtle, demands attention.

Physical

According to the cdc.gov (Stature for age chart), Falon is in the 25th percentile, is taller

than 25 percent of his peers, and shorter than 75 percent of his peers. According to the film Child

Development Basics, Asians tend to have a shorter stature than other races, and there is a large

difference in same-sex height and weight during the school-age years. These differences may

negatively affect smaller children. This can cause them to have low self-esteem, have fewer

friends, and be teased (Films Media Group, 2005). Like most of his peers, Falon still uses a
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booster seat and does not have issues with his self-esteem, booster seat, or peers and anticipates

interacting with students.

While visiting with Falon, it is difficult not to notice how active he is. His gross motor

skills are on par with his age. Ellsworth (1996) clearly explains how early elementary children

enjoy playing outside, jumping, skating around, running, and playing with big balls (Ellsworth,

1996). Observing Falon, he enjoys rolling around, jumping on things and people. Wresting with

his dad is one of his favorite things to do. Conversely, it is apparent he does not realize how

dangerous his actions are and could cause serious injury to himself and others without parental

guidance. In the film, Physical Growth and Motor Development, injuries among children are the

leading cause of death due to their new physical capabilities, interest, and exploratory nature,

which increase the risk to themselves (Films Media Group, 2008). However, when told to correct

dangerous behavior, Falon does with little resistance. He listens and understands he could cause

harm to himself and someone else.

As of now, Falon's fine motor skills are a challenge. He has dexterity in his fingers, but

when I observed him with crayons, he has a "clumsy" disposition. However, while pretending to

read, he has no problem holding the books and turning pages. According to Snowman and

McCown, this disposition is common in early elementary children, and the use of large crayons,

writing, and art tools are best (Snowman & McCown, 2015).

All in all, Falon is an active young boy and at his age dexterity challenges are common.

Even though he is in the 25th percentile, his physical development is consistent with his age. I

graphed Falon's physical attributes compared to his peers in the chart below.
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Physical
5
4
3
Age

2
1
0

Peers Falon

Figure 1 Falon compared to peers

Emotional

Falon does not receive discipline in the form of spanking. In the worst-case scenario, he

may be sent to time out for a few minutes or playtime, may be shortened. According to the

Journal of Marriage and Family, there is evidence that early childhood spanking is associated

with aggressive behavior later in a child's life (Gromoske & Maguire, 2012). This is why his

parents choose to talk about and explain the ramifications of his misbehavior. While at a

wedding, Falon was very hyper and tried to absorb every aspect. According to the film Child

Development Basics, in kindergarten, children are highly active and like to be involved in many

activities (Films Media Group, 2005). He went from person to person and was especially

interested in new faces. However, when told to calm down, quiet down, and sit down, he did

reluctantly. Then, ask if he could continue after the wedding, and was told yes. According to

J'Anne Ellsworth, he is learning respect for himself and those around him (Ellsworth, 1996).

Conversely, at home, when told to do the same, he tries to explain what he is doing, pleas to

continue, and displays signs of sadness and discontentedness. Haim Ginott, when preschool-

kindergarteners are forced to recognize their behavior, they gain the ability to accept their

feelings, control their emotions, and find ways to express themselves appropriately (Snowman
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and McCown, 2015). In these situations, Falon understands that big outbursts are not the best

route to take. He finds other ways to deal with and express his feelings.

In the film Child Development Basics, by the age of five, a person can see a sense of

humor in children (Film Media Group, 2005). When around other children, Falon continues to be

extremely verbal and outgoing. He likes to laugh, is humorous, and can also understand jokes.

Throughout the day, Falon also takes short naps. According to The Psychology Applied to

Teaching, the excitement, stress, play, emotions, hunger, and sleepiness at this age cause

children to tire out quickly. It is recommended that they have regular naps and snacks to

maintain their energetic day (Snowman and McCown, 2015).

Falon is emotionally mature. He does not show signs of aggression and can talk about,

understand, and recognize his behavior. He laughs often and also understands jokes. Falon's

emotional level compared to his peers is charted in the graph below.

Emotional
4.6
4.4
4.2
Age

4
3.8
3.6

Peers Falon

Figure 2 Falon compared to peers

Philosophical

Falon is very inquisitive and understands right from wrong. However, being a hyper

young boy, he is often told to stop doing something and needs behavior correction. Jumping on

the couch and roughhousing is one of his favorite things to do. When told to stop, Falon looks for

another way to get what he wants. His parents explain why he should change his behavior. If he
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does not listen, time out is given or something is taken away. According to pbs.kids.org ("Parent

resources, tips, and advice" 2020), young children understand basic feelings of sadness,

happiness, being scared and mad and can talk about (with help) what they feel enough to

evaluate why they feel the way they do. Falon usually listens and looks forward to not being

punished and/or more game time, his favorite snack, or resuming his play at a later time. I asked

his mother if he lies, she said he has but is learning that it is better, to tell the truth than to lie.

She explained how one day he was playing around and accidentally threw his jacket on the

ceiling fan in his room. He went right to her when it happened, explained what he did, and

expressed how unhappy he was that it happened. He understood that admitting his wrong was the

best way and could create a better outcome. According to Lawrence Kohlberg, Falon is in the

pre-conventional morality stage. In this Stage, actions determine whether something is good or

bad, and the outcome equals a reward or benefit to themself. (Snowman and McCown, 2015).

Praise is something Falon desires as well. According to Ellsworth (1996), seeking praise

and approval is typical because they get pleasure out of being good, helpful, and receiving praise.

When visiting with Falon, he brought out one of his favorite books. He memorized the story and

looks forward to reading it to whoever is willing to listen. According to the India- West, Falon

exercises his brain, which will allow him to memorize larger and larger amounts of information

(The Four Best Tricks to Help Your Child Memorize Information, 2016). While improving his

memory skills, he often stops to look around and wait for praise as he pretends to read the book.

Falon knows right from wrong and that telling the truth is more beneficial than lying. He

has good moral values. Falon enjoys pleasing others and can assess his feelings (when prompted)

to help clarify moral issues. Falon, compared to his peers, is charted in the graph below.
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Philisophical
4.6
4.4
4.2
Age

4
3.8
3.6

Peers Falon

Figure 3 Falon compared to peers

Social

Socially, Falon is not shy and has an outgoing personality. He will walk up to most

people and talk with them. According to the study, "Being Shy at School," shyness is

characterized by social avoidance, behavioral suppression, and fear (Rudasill and Kalutskaya,

2014). Falon engages with peers and does not display those types of characteristics. Often, he

asks questions or makes statements like, "you have a blue tie." When visiting, I observed Falon's

interaction with his grandpa, and he states, "why do you have a hairy face" his grandpa then

replies, "I have a beard and a mustache" then Falon proceeded to drink his cup of milk and

walked around with a white mustache the rest of the time visiting. According to Ellsworth

(1996), primary grade children like to assume the role of adults, playing house and put

themselves in situations to help others (Ellsworth, 1996). Falon displays all of these attributes.

As far as interaction with his peers, Falon explains how going to a friend's house to stay

the night was not as fun as he anticipated. One of the boys his age but slightly bigger was being

aggressive. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in the short film "Physical

Growth and Motor Development," Asian children are generally shorter and there is a large

physical difference in the same age and sex children (Films Media Group, 2008). Conversely,
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this is not a common occurrence. Thus far, Falon plays freely and happy-go-lucky with most of

his peers.

When at home, aggressive play and wrestling is something he enjoys. Now that he has a

younger sister to be careful around, he does not always want to listen and occasionally has to be

told more than once to be careful around her but understands what could happen and is attentive

to his baby sister. According to Kohlberg's Moral Development theory, children react to society's

rules by deciding how good or bad the outcome may be, which is typical for his age range

(Snowman and McCown, 2015).

Socially, Falon adapts well to situations and engages with adults and his peers. He likes

to role play and handles disappointment with ease. His social behavior compared to his peers is

graphed in the chart below.

Social
5.5

5
Age

4.5

Peers Falon

Figure 4 Falon compared to peers

Intellectual

According to Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, Falon is still in the Pre-

Operational Stage and asks a plethora of questions, is egocentric, and does not understand

someone else's position (Snowman and McCown, 2015). When looking at his favorite cereal box

and discussing the surprise toys inside, I stated, "wow, there is a special toy you're looking to
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get" then he replies, "no, I need to get the gold unknown toy." Falon was not able to recognize

the special toy I noted was the same gold unknown toy he was looking for. However, this is not

uncommon for the early elementary level.

Falon knows his A, B, C's, and organizes his toys according to shape, size, and color.

According to the article, "Young Children's Learning of Relational Categories," younger children

are more likely to match objects according to size, shape, or color rather than function (Frontiers

in Psychology, 2015). While visiting with Falon, he began to match and count his toys in groups.

I ask how high he can count, and he states, to twenty. He proceeds to count and stops at twenty. I

say, twenty-one then, he continues. With a little scaffolded help, Falon eventually counts to 100.

According to pbs.kids.org, kindergarteners enjoy inquiry learning, can do simple organization,

and learn through hands-on activities ("Parent resources, tips, and advice" 2020). Falon excels in

this area.

Falon is excited and looks forward to learning with his mother. Observing his mother

teach him, he is interested in counting, singing, and saying his body parts. His attention span has

increased but is easily side-tracked by time. He asks, "when we are done with this, can I play

with my toys?" She says yes and skillfully maneuvers between songs and activities to allow

learning to continue. In "P.E.P.S.I. A Screening Tool," this is common for his age level. Falon's

attention span is increasing. He shows interest in learning and remembers while spatially

thinking about what he can do next (Ellsworth, 1996).

Cognitively, Falon does not recognize the relation between similar subjects. Like the

previously noted item in the cereal box, the relation is not recognized. He has a good memory

and organizational skills, but with extended time can be side-tracked. Fortunately, this is

common at his intellectual stage. Falon, compared to his peers, is charted in the graph below.
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Intellectual
5
4
3
Age

2
1
0

Peers Falon

Figure 5 Falon compared to peers

Falon's Physical, Emotional, Philosophical, Social, and Intellectual ranking, along with

his peers, is displayed in the chart below.

P.E.P.S.I
6

5
5
4 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Age

4 4
3 3.4

0
Physical Emotional Philisophical Social Intellectual
Peers Falon

Figure 6. Falon compared to his peers

Recommendations

Falon is a rambunctious kid who wakes up early in the morning and is intrigued all day.

He should be given a lot of playtime with supervision since one of his favorite pass times is

running and jumping. To help him play safely, think of outside games like counting the different
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trees or finding colorful rocks. Also, adequate sleep is essential for good physical and mental

development. Taking regular naps will be helpful for him and the parent.

Emotionally, Falon should continue having conversations to stop and recognize what he

is feeling. Reading books that display emotional situations properly explained can create self-

awareness and may help in dealing with emotions. Recognizing his emotions, Falon will

continue to develop empathy and learn to accept and appropriately express his emotions.

Continue to let Falon know that lying is not a good thing. Allow him the opportunity to

be truthful without threat or fear. Show him that lying is not something people do by continuing

to be truthful parents. Let him know that honestly is good, something to be admired, and thank

him for being honest.

Socially, have supervised play and allow interaction with peers as often as possible.

When a situation gets out of hand, be ready to help him recognize the problem and self-reflect to

help develop empathy.

Falon is very inquisitive and learns by doing. To enhance this area, it is good to expand

his love of sorting and organizing. Also, encourage anything that piques his interest. If he likes

puzzles, show him the different types there are to choose from. Support anything that he pursues

(within reason) and make suggestions on how to complete or go about achieving his goals. If he

has difficulty, continue to give positive reinforcement.

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References
Ellsworth, J. (1996). "Pepsi": A screening and programming tool for understanding the whole

child. Teaching Exceptional Children, 29(2), 33–39.

Films Media Group. (2005). Child development basics: Stages of development. Films On

Demand. https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=97822&xtid=41201.

Films Media Group. (2008). Physical growth and motor development. Films On Demand.

https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=97822&xtid=54832.

Gromoske, A. N., & Maguire-Jack, K. (2012). Transactional and Cascading Relations Between

Early Spanking and Children's Social-Emotional Development. Journal of Marriage and

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Rudasill, K. M., & Kalutskaya, I. (2014). Being Shy at School. Sex Roles, 70(7-8), 267-273.

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comparisons and their cognitive constraints. Frontiers in Psychology,

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