PEPSI SCREENING 1

PEPSI Screening

Sabrina R. Juliano

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 220: Principles of Educational Psychology

Dr. Rochelle Hooks

November 14, 2021

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Biography

Ace Holt, the child observed, was born on May 6, 2011, at Baptist Hospital in Nashville,

TN. He relocated to Las Vegas, NV, his mother’s birthplace, when he was three months old. Ace

is a fifth-grade student at Sports Leadership and Management Academy of Nevada (SLAM NV).

He lives in a two-story home in a gated community that teeters on the edge of Henderson, NV,

but has the designation of Las Vegas. His mother is a paralegal for a large gaming company and

his father is a business owner of a successful gaming integrity firm.

Ace was non-verbal until he was two years old. He showed signs of understanding

gestures and situations but could and would not respond verbally. He used sign language and a

picture exchange communication system (PECS) to communicate. Ace would get visibly upset

when he was misunderstood before he spoke. His visible frustrations were akin to that of a

“fussy” baby; however, it was later found out that Ace needed tubes in his ears. He was unable to

hear clearly, which caused the verbal delay. Ace presented with delayed motor skills as well as

communication. He did not take his first steps until he was about two and a half years old.

Around age two, Ace broke his clavicle and favored his left arm. During this time, he would

scoot on his rear end around the house to get from one place to another.

At age four, Ace was diagnosed with autism. More specifically, his neurologist diagnosed

him with Asperger's syndrome. His half-brother has a different level of autism. Ace is the

youngest of four siblings, three of which are fully blood-related, with Ace being their half-

sibling. Each sibling is about one year older than the last, beginning with Ace at ten years old.

Ace’s three half-siblings relocated to Kentucky with their mother in the fall of 2018. This has

sustained an only-child-like simulation for his day-to-day lifestyle.

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Physical Development

Using the relative data points of ten years and six months in age, four feet in height, and

eighty pounds in weight, Ace is deemed obese according to the BMI Percentile Calculator for

Child and Teen (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). A quantitative and qualitative

interpretation of the data reads, “Based on the height and weight entered, the BMI is 24.4,

placing the BMI-for-age at the 97th percentile for boys aged 10 years 6 months. This child has

obesity and may have weight-related health problems.”

Though the website states young Ace is obese, Grow by WebMD provides an alternative

interpretation. According to Your Son at 10: MIlestones, “Your son is likely to stand somewhere

between 4 and 5 feet tall at this age. Their weight should be between 65 to 90 pounds.” This

interpretation has his body statistics falling within normal range.

With two seemingly contradictory positions, Ace’s family health history is imperative to

ensure he reaches milestones healthily on his way to physical maturation. Ace’s parents have

weight-related health issues, such as type two diabetes on his paternal side and post-ablative

hypothyroidism on his maternal side. Ace has had asthma since he was about five years old. The

family history of weight-altering conditions, paired with a breathing condition can lead Ace

down a difficult path to maintaining a healthy weight. However, he is involved in wrestling at his

school and enjoys outdoor activity, such as playing basketball and taking walks.

Ace has lost a total of four baby teeth. He lost his first tooth around age six and lost his

most recent, and fourth, tooth about a year and a half ago at age eight. According to Healthline

Staff, most children lose about four teeth annually by age ten (Milestones for 10-Year-Olds). By

this metric, Ace is underdeveloped in this physical development milestone.

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Emotional Development

Ace seems aware of his body, as he seems to be at the beginning of puberty, which falls

in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) observation of ten-year-

old’s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). He told me that his peers are taller and

heavier than him, but they all have adapted lower voices as of this school year. He spoke to the

fact that he has a light mustache, something he previously seemed embarrassed by. Ace told me,

with enthusiasm, “I am not the only kid with a mustache!” He proceeded to tell me there are two

other kids in his class with light, small mustaches.

I observed Ace in a restaurant setting and noticed he checked many of the boxes within

J’Anne Ellsworth’s Emotional observation list (PEPSI Observation: Emotional). Some notable

descriptors I observed on the safe/growing side were excitement, stimulation, pride,

comfortability, openness, and feeling needed. On the opposite side of growth issues, I noticed

doubt, confusion, restlessness, and subtle rejection. According to Erikson’s 8 Stages of

Psychosocial Development, Ace should fall within the Industry vs. Inferiority stage (Lumen).

This stage is when children compare themselves to their fellow classmates (Lumen).

I spoke with Ace about many different aspects of his day-to-day life, such as school,

sports, social, and family life. He seemed excited about recently joining the wrestling team at his

school. He spoke to how he is an asset to the team, in turn, making him feel needed. He

expressed pride in his participation, and success, in wrestling, as well as in mathematics. On a

different note, Ace expressed confusion regarding a couple different processes. One process was

why his speech services at school were split between two days, instead of completed on a single

day. Another took place in a previous conversation with him. He asked why his school was
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closed on the Tuesday preceding Nevada Day for parent-teacher conferences, and not the

Thursday before. He is increasingly inquisitive.

Ace told me about his dislike for group sports, hence his interest and enjoyment in

wrestling. In doing so, he expressed that he finds it frustrating working with others. He has

expressed that he knows the “right” or “best” way to do something, but others do not listen to

him. With that known, it seems that Ace struggles with getting along with others, which is an

important skill to master within the Industry vs. Inferiority stage (Erikson’s 8 Stages of

Psychosocial Development).
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Philosophical Development

During our lunch at a restaurant, I was able to hold conversations with Ace for much

longer than I have been able to in the past. This is a positive observation, as at age ten, he should

have an increased attention span (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). I decided to ask

Ace three questions to gauge his philosophical footing: What is friendship?, What is the

difference between adults and children?, and Do you think the best things in life are free?

(Russell).

When asked, what is friendship? Ace initially said, “I think of a ship that is named

friend.” Further specifying my question, I asked him what he would define as friendship or what

characteristics he would use to describe the term. This was a difficult question for him to answer.

Ace asked if we could return to the question, so we did about ten minutes later. When asked

again, he still was unsure. Earlier in the conversation, he disclosed his best friend’s name to me,

Tripp. I asked him, “What makes Tripp your best friend? What qualities about him?” Ace then

explained that Tripp is his best friend because he is his only friend outside of school.

When asked what is the difference between adults and children? Ace gave a very

unsurprising answer. He said “age.” There was no more to the answer.

When asked do you think the best things in life are free? Ace said “No, there is always a

price.” I then gave him a few examples of free things in life, such as spending quality time,

sleeping, or making memories. After that, I listed a couple of paid things in life, such as material

possessions or eating out. I then asked him what his top three to five “best things in life” are. He

listed the video game called Skyrim, fishing, and family. Ace seems to understand what priorities

are in general, and what his are, personally.

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Ace has a strong business mindset, so his thought of everything having a price was only

to be expected. For background understanding, he created a business in the beginning of 2021

called The Hatch LV. The Hatch LV is a company where Ace sells tin boxes for holding fishing

hooks. He even hand makes fishing hooks to include in some of the boxes. Ace is a money and

business-oriented ten-year-old. According to J’Anne Ellsworth, at age ten, Ace should enjoy deal

making and payback (Tenth Year). Ace thoroughly enjoys making bets or playing cards, and he

either saves his money or uses it towards materials for his business. Ace seems on target for his

age, if not slightly advanced, regarding financial aspects of philosophical development.

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Social Development

Ace has one best friend, Tripp, who has been his best friend since kindergarten. Ace

expressed having some friends in wrestling. He explained that during wrestling, they are

matched with their teammates because they are not at a competitive level yet. He said he has

beaten his friend Julian in matches a few times now and expressed concern that his success has

caused his friends to possibly not want to be his friends.

Ace does not seem to follow the suit of peer pressure, contrary to that being a trend

among his age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). When asked who was more of a

leader between him and his best friend Tripp, he said himself. Ace seems to weigh positive and

negative consequences with actions that lead to them. He also seems to enjoy making decisions,

so peer pressure disinterests him.

Observing child-adult interactions, Ace was very polite and had a mature outward

manner toward the waitress at the restaurant. I also observed him order his own food without

being prompted. At the end of the meal, he expressed to the waitress that he was finished so she

could take his plate.

According to J’Anne Ellsworth, “This is usually the last age that children express total

confidence in parents and other adults.” (Tenth Year). Ace expresses confidence in very few

adults. He seems to carry the utmost confidence in his parents, but he still challenges their word.

For example, he was telling me about how he and his dad were debating what is more traditional,

vanilla or chocolate. He left out a key point, that I had to ask many questions to get to, that his

dad was speaking about Ace’s first choice of flavor as the definition of “traditional.” He enjoys

finding holes in others’ logic or opinions. He likes to be correct over others. Ace also told me

about how one of his teachers said “twenty-four thousand” instead of “twenty-four hundred” for
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2,400, in class. He explained that he corrected her in front of the class. He seemed to correct

without respect for authority, but it did not seem to be his intention.
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Intellectual Development

I asked Ace a series of questions, adapted from J’Anne Ellsworth’s website, that

addresses recognition, recall, comprehension, demonstration, opinion, analysis, attitude or value,

application, and synthesis (PEPSI Observations: Intellectual).

First, I asked Ace if he remembered a discussion he had with myself and my husband a

couple of years ago about how magnets work. He said he remembered. This was to gauge

recognition. Next, I asked him if he could tell me which types of poles are attracted to each

other. This was something we spoke about in our conversation. He said the opposite poles. This

was to gauge recall. Then, I asked him why the opposite poles are attracted. This was not

included in our initial conversation years ago, but at the time he told me he was learning a bit

about magnets. He responded that the reason opposite poles are attracted is because they pull

each other together. This was to test comprehension. Lastly, I asked him what would happen if I

had two sides of the same phone magnets facing each other. For example, two positively charged

sides. He moved his hands apart from each other and said they would push away from one

another. I asked him this to gauge his demonstration skills.

After I asked him these questions, I questioned him if it made sense to him to gather his

opinion. He said it did. I then asked him what he would think if I told him that scientists are not

exactly sure why opposite poles attract. They just know it is a fundamental force and accept it.

He was disinterested in this information. From this point, which was supposed to gauge his

analysis skills, and through attempts to gauge attitude or value, application, and synthesis, he was

“checked out.” This type of response has shifted since we last spoke about magnets. He was

previously very interested in the concepts and understandings of scientists.

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Later, I spoke to Ace about something he enjoys speaking about, his IEP. He told me that

he receives speech services for thirty minutes each week. He also told me that he gets to choose

when he is taken out of his general education classroom for his special education services. The

school he attends does not participate in the least restrictive environment. He explained he

struggles with language. He attributed that fact to the reason that it takes about ten minutes to

relocate to another room for language at his school. Having dedicated fifteen minutes to that

subject, he only spends about five minutes each day on the material. He spoke to his math level

being at a seventh-grade level. This is accommodated within his IEP because he gets to relocate

during math to complete work that is challenging for him.

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Graph

Advanced 5

Slightly Above Average 4

Average 3

Slightly Below Average 2

Underdeveloped 1

Above is a bar graph that expresses Ace’s level of development. The green line is the line

denoting an average level of development for his age at ten years old. There is also a table that

describes what each number means. There is an asterisk next to intelligence because the

designated standing is arbitrary without reading the page about his intelligence. It is scattered but

is average overall.
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Ace’s physical standing seems average. Visually, he does not look overweight. At four

feet tall, he is within the average height of four to five feet (Your Son at 10: MIlestones). At

eighty pounds, he is within the average weight of sixty-five to ninety pounds (Your Son at 10:

MIlestones).

Ace’s emotional standing seems slightly below average. While he is not obviously

influenced by peer pressure, he has an underlying fear of rejection and lacks strong, complex

friendships that are emotionally important at this age (Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention).

Ace’s philosophical standing seems average. With having an active business, he is aware

of the inner workings of business fundamentals. This supports the idea that ten-year-old’s enjoy

deal making and value payback (Tenth Year). Ace’s attention span has also increased since he

was younger. He was able to answer philosophical questions relatively well, or express when and

why he was unable to answer.

Ace’s social standing seems slightly below average. This can be attributed in part to his

diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome, but I do not think it can exclusively explain the slight

underdevelopment. Ace expresses a high sense of pride in his curriculars as well as his position

on the wrestling team. However, based on the language he uses when communicating this pride,

and pointing out how others are doing in comparison, it seems that he has underlying insecurity.

This, in tandem with his verbal expression of lack of desire to work with his peers puts him at

risk to develop an inferiority complex, according to Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial

Development (Lumen).

Ace’s intellectual standing seems scattered. I would argue he is average overall because

he is advanced in some areas, while slightly below average in others. He is advanced in

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mathematics but underdeveloped in language. According to Healthwise Staff, Ace should be

proficient in addition and subtraction, while working on multiplication, division, and fraction

skills (Milestones for 10-Year-Olds). Ace is working on seventh grade math, such as geometry

(incl. Pythagorean Theorem). At ten years old, he should also be able to write in cursive,

however, that is not taught in schools according to Ace (Milestones for 10-Year-Olds).
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Recommendations

With an average physical standing, I would recommend he continue to exercise to carry a

routine throughout middle school. This will ensure he does not become unhealthy in weight

relative to his short stature. I would also suggest that Ace go to the doctor to see why he has lost

such little baby teeth relative to others his age group.

With a slightly below average emotional standing, his underlying fear of rejection

becoming a reality should be addressed. I would suggest Ace join a group outside of school to try

and learn to participate with others without it being as high stakes as it would be in his school.

For example, he enjoys debating, so a debate team might be a good fit for him to work with

others. This may also heighten his confidence and lessen his fear of rejection.

With an average philosophical standing, I would suggest Ace continue to grow and

nurture his business. His level of responsibility within his business has created a good

environment for him to learn to enjoy adult-like responsibilities (incl. deal making and payback).

With a slightly below average social standing, I believe this type of development can be

remedied using the suggestion of Ace joining a team outside of school. It appears a group outside

of school would allow a “trial run” of sorts for him. By “trial run,” I mean a social interaction

with kids around his age that he will not see at school, so if, by trial and error, he feels that he

has embarrassed himself, he will not have to face the kids the next day at school. I believe this

would raise Ace’s level of social skills and eventually, he would not need the trial period.

With a scattered intellectual standing, but deemed as average overall, I have varying

recommendations for Ace. With an advanced math skill set, I would suggest he continue to

partake in an accelerated math program. With underdeveloped language skills, I would suggest

he spend time practicing lesson content at home, after school. Since he is not getting enough time
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to focus in the classroom, he needs an opportunity for more time so he can meet or exceed

standards.
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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). BMI Percentile Calculator For Child and

Teen. Retrieved November 5, 2021 by cdc.gov/healthyweight/bmi/result.html?

&method=english&gender=m&age_y=10&age_m=6&hft=4&hin=0&twp=80.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Middle Childhood (9-11 Years of Age).

Retrieved November 5, 2021 by

cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle2.html.

Grow by WebMD. (n.d.). Your Son at 10: Milestones. Retrieved November 5, 2021 by

webmd.com/parenting/guide/son-10-milestones#1.

Healthwise Staff. (2020). Milestones for 10-Year-Olds. C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

University of Michigan Health. Retrieved November 5, 2021 by mottchildren.org/health-

library/ue5722.

Ellsworth, J’Anne. PEPSI Observation: Emotional. (1998). Northern Arizona University.

Retrieved November 11, 2021 by

jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/po_emotional.html.

Ellsworth, J’Anne. (1998). PEPSI Observations: Intellectual. Retrieved November 11, 2021 by

jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/po_intellectual.html.

Ellsworth, J’Anne. (1999). Tenth Year. Retrieved November 12, 2021 by

jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/year10.html.

Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development. Lumen. Retrieved November 12, 2021 by

courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/eriksons-stages-of-

psychosocial-development/.
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Russell, Bernadette. (2016). Bernadette Russell’s Top 10 Philosophical Questions Children

Should Ask. Retrieved November 11, 2021 by theguardian.com/childrens-books-

site/2016/feb/14/philosophical-questions-children-should-ask-bernadette-russell.