P.E.P.S.I.

Screening 1

P.E.P.S.I. Screening

Estefannie Estrada

College of Southern Nevada

P.E.P.S.I. Screening 2

Abstract

The P.E.P.S.I. screening was done on David Zecena in which he was observed in different areas

including physical, emotional, philosophical, social, and intellectual. The P.E.P.S.I. screening

allows teachers and parents to identify any patterns a child may have as well as setting a

guideline.David was asked a series of questions along with observing him in different ways. I

had the chance to spend some time with David while he was attending online school and

completing homework. After some time I was able to sit down with him and talk about his

interest and play a few games with him. In those moments I was able to observe how David acts,

thinks, feels, and communicates.

P.E.P.S.I. Screening 3

Biography

David Zecena recently turned nine years old and he was born on March 11, 2012. He is

the oldest of two children in his household and has many cousins. His parents were also foster

parents for a short period of time and he seemed to get along with the other children just fine. He

has been seen to be a playful kid that loves animals. In his household, they have three different

kinds of pets. They have a turtle, fishes, and dogs. David is the kind of boy that when he goes to

a new place and sees an animal he won’t care who’s there and will try to instantly go pet the

animals.

When he was younger, David’s parents thought he started talking later than what was

expected. They believed this because of what they had seen in other family members. As he’s

been growing up his parents have been monitoring his speech and reading skills and they have

provided him extra help in areas in which he’s needed. He is currently receiving help from a

speech therapist since he does have a hard time speaking sometimes.

Physical

As many children grow up and go to the doctor they check their height and weight. That

is done to ensure that the child is growing properly. David weighs 66 pounds and his height is

51.5 inches. The student’s mother expressed that everytime they go to the doctor’s office, the

doctor states that David is at the height and weight he should be for his age. This information is

also supported by a chart provided by the cdc that demonstrates that David is in the area in which

he should be(CDC, 2000). However, his mom was concerned about his height because she

noticed there were many kids that were taller than him. She thought this was due to the fact that
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David does not like eating vegetables. Therefore, she has to find a way to sneak the vegetables

into his food to ensure that he is getting the proper vitamins and nutrients.

When the student was asked if he liked any sports he responded with “soccer.” It

was observed that David loves to run. He falls into what the textbook states in section 3-3a that

boys tend to be better at sports(Snowman, McCown). The only difference that was observed with

David was that he did not like to follow instructions. He loves to run and play, but once he was

put in a soccer team it was a completely different story for him. His mom noticed that he would

not enjoy it as much because he wanted to have freedom to do what he wanted to do. This has

led David to not want to participate in any more sports. When he has the chance, David goes

outside to play with the dogs but he mostly likes to stay inside and play with his toys. According

to Janie Marie Denton Leary(2011), at the age of ten and above, children started to decrease the

amount of physical activity they would do. Although David is not ten years old yet, it would

seem as if the decrease in physical activity has begun.

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Emotional

As children grow up it’s important to make sure they understand that emotions and

feelings are completely natural and to encourage them to express them. Emotions ranging from

happiness all the way to anger is normal in any and every person. While observing David it was

easy to see that he could easily demonstrate the different emotions he was feeling. When he

played or did something he enjoyed he would be smiling and be open about how happy he was.

When he would get angry he would also make sure his parents knew that he was angry. The

student has also been able to recognize when others are angry, happy, or sad. In The development

of emotion recognition from facial expressions and non‐linguistic vocalizations during

childhood (2015) it states, “recognition accuracy improves from the preschool years to middle

childhood.” When looking at that quote, it can be seen that David is in fact in that stage and can

in fact recognize with accuracy when people are expressing their emotions whether it’s through

facial expressions or verbal expression.

When the student was asked how he would describe himself he began stating physical

and emotional descriptions. He stated that he was “tall” and “happy” while also stating what he

was doing in the moment. David was also asked why he was happy and was unable to answer at

first. After some thinking he said he was happy because he has a house and a family. Section

3-3c of the textbook mentions that students in middle childhood, the stage in which David is at

right now, can describe themselves accurately along with specifying negative and positive things

about himself(Snowman, McCown, 2015). The student was able to describe himself but not in

detail and in just one way. The article from the Scholastic states that children between the ages of

eight to ten will begin showing a desire for independence(Anthony). This was seen with David
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when he wanted to eat ice-cream for breakfast and got upset when he was not allowed to do that.

He then began ignoring his parents and tried to finish his task which was to serve himself the

ice-cream.

Philosophical

As students grow up they learn the difference between good and bad. They learn to

respect their parents, teachers, or authority figures. David shows a good understanding as to who

the authorities are and who he must listen to. When I asked the student if he has a good

understanding as to what the differences are between right and wrong, However, when his

mother was asked and when he was observed, it was seen that David grasps the concept of good

and bad but doesn’t always listen. Snowman and McCown stated, “‘official’ rules are obeyed out

of respect for authority or out of a desire to impress others”(2015). David would listen mostly

when it would benefit him or when his toys were going to get taken away. When he was not

behaving well, his mother would have to take his trains away in order for him to listen. Sharon

Begley and Claudia Kalb state, “By middle childhood, if all goes well, children begin to seek

social approval” (2000). This has proven to be untrue with David because of some instances in
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which he has not cared who has been around and how others view him. An example is when he

was not behaving well and his mother was trying to get him to listen to her. He was ignoring her,

not caring about what others around may think. However, there have been some times in which

David has liked rules and likes when others follow them. Just like Carey Quan Gelernter

mentioned, David cares about the rules of his favorite games (1994). He does not like it when

people don’t follow the rules or don’t play how they should.

Social

When David is with certain people, he may seem quiet and reserved. However, with other

children his age he is the opposite. The student has a number of friends and cares deeply about

each and every one of them. Out of all of his friends, there is one person which he truly considers

his best friend and the gender of the child is a female. Snowman and McCown state that children

around the ages of nine and ten typically befriend peers that are of their same gender (2015).

However, this has been proven to be false with David. On the other hand, he has had some issues

with his best friend because of that statement. His best friend mentioned that some of her other

friends have told her not to spend time with boys. This has caused David to get upset because he
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likes to spend time with his friends. On the other hand, this has allowed David to spend time with

his other friends as well. Rubin, Dwyer, Kim, and Burgess state, “competence in forming close

friendships at 10 years of age” which demonstrates that although David is still nine years old, he

can already do something that is expected from children at the age of ten (2004). His mother

explained that David finds it very easy to make friends and upon meeting new children his age,

he is very friendly.
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Intellectual

David spent the beginning of his life living near his cousins and aunts, however, a few

years ago David’s parents decided to move. Just as J'Anne Ellsworth stated in the charts, at the

age of nine, he has a clear understanding of distance and what it is. For example, he has an aunt

that lives four hours away from him. When he was younger he would always want to go visit her

but now he understands that it’s a long trip and they can’t always go visit.

David was observed while he did his homework and it was seen that he not only did not

want to do it but he had a hard time completing it. David seemed to do his best to pay attention to

his class, but would have a hard time concentrating and would not always understand what was

being taught to him. His teacher sent over his grades and David seemed to have average to good

grades. He received an eighty percent in math, a seventy seven percent in language, and an

eighty nine percent in writing. David was also classified on his behavior and he was said to have

done “fair” in classroom behavior, on-task behavior, how he completes class work, and he got

“excellent” on how he completes homework. However, when the material was explained to him

in person he seemed to understand it better and was able to remember the information. Snowman

and McCown stated, “When tasks call for recognizing previously learned information, such as

vocabulary words or facts about a person or event, or for rehearsing several items for immediate

use, elementary grade children can perform about as well as older students.” This proved to be

true when he was able to remember what was explained to him and put it into practice.

When David was younger, he would not talk as much and as he grew up he seemed to

have a difficult time reading. His parents took him to a speech specialist and they were

recommended to provide him with extra help when it comes to reading and his speech. After his
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general classes, such as English, Math, History, and Science, he attends another class that is to

help improve his reading skills.

Recommendations

David Zecena is a nine year old boy that enjoys running and has a lot of energy. Since he

does have a big backyard he can benefit a lot by going outside and playing soccer with his

brother. Since he also enjoys playing with animals, he can take the time to go outside and play

with the dogs and run around. His mom could also continue to find new and creative ways in

which she could incorporate more fruits and vegetables into his diet. This would allow him to

receive all the vitamins and nutrients he needs.

When it comes to how David is emotionally, he has demonstrated that he can properly

show what he’s feeling. On the other hand, he doesn't always verbally express it. It could be

necessary to see when and why David has had his outbursts or when he ignores his parents.

Although it’s necessary for him to learn to do things for himself, he must still understand that it’s

best to respect his parents.

P.E.P.S.I. Screening 11

David seems to have a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong and

good and bad. He understands when he does good or bad things but has lied about doing them.

This ties back to the recommendation stated above, his parents should explain to him that he

must listen to and respect his parents. He understands when his parents tell him not to do

something, but he still does it. When that happens, his parents should explain to him what

negative effects doing that action may have and why he should listen to them.

David Zecena is a friendly boy. It has been said by many that he has many friends and

enjoys making new friends. His parents should continue encouraging him to do that while

explaining to him what a healthy and good friendship is. Since he also gets attached to people

very fast, they should also explain to him that some friends will want to spend time with others.

When observed, it was seen that David sometimes has a difficult time in class. He is still

receiving help through the extra class he is taking. However, I do think it’s important for his

parents to mention to his teacher that David understood the material better when it was explained

in a more detailed way. If not, they can get a tutor for him since his parents sometimes have a

difficult time understanding the material because they are still learning English.
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 12

References

CDC, (2000, May 20).2 to 20 years: Boys Stature-for-age and Weight-for-age percentiles.

Retrieved April 8,2021 from

https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set1clinical/cj41l021.pdf

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching. Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth

Leary, Janie Marie Denton. (2011). Parental Influence on Physical Activity of 7 to 9 Year Olds.

Chronaki, Georgia, Hadwin, Julie A, Garner, Matthew, Maurage, Pierre, & Sonuga‐Barke,

Edmund J. S. (2015). The development of emotion recognition from facial expressions

and non‐linguistic vocalizations during childhood. British Journal of Developmental

Psychology, 33(2), 218-236.

Anthony, M. (n.d.).The emotional lives of 8-10 year olds. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2021, from

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/social-emotional-learning/development-m

ilestones/emotional-lives-8-10-year-olds.html

Begley, S., & Kalb, C. (2000, March 13). Learning right from wrong. Retrieved April 16, 2021,

from

https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialsciences/ppecorino/ethics_text/Chapter_2_Moral%20De

velopment/Learning-Right-From-Wrong.htm
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Gelernter, C. Q. (1994, October 25). Right From Wrong -- At What Age Do Children Develop A

Moral Sense, And Understand What It Means To Commit A Crime? The Seattle Times.

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19941025&slug=1937798.

Rubin, K. H., Dwyer, K. M., Kim, A. H., Burgess, K. B., Booth-Laforce, C., & Rose-Krasnor, L.

(2004). Attachment, Friendship, and Psychosocial Functioning in Early Adolescence. The

Journal of early adolescence, 24(4), 326–356. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431604268530

Ellsworth, J. (1999). 9Th year. Retrieved April 28, 2021, from

https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/year9.html