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Elizabeth Keen

Professor Hooks

EDU 220

Nov. 14, 2021

PEPSI Screening
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PEPSI Screening of Addison Macht

Biography

Addison Macht is a playful nine year-old male in the third grade. He was born right here

in Las Vegas, Nevada at Sunrise Hospital. Addison’s birthday is October 16, 2012 which makes

him one of the older kids in his grade level. His family’s socioeconomic status is identified to be

middle-class according to his mother and step-father, Scarlet Macht and Alexander Macht.

Addison’s ethnicity is specified as caucasian, or white- making him a racial majority.

Addison loves his parents and step-father very much. They call him “Addy.” He has three

older siblings, two of which are half-siblings, and spends time with his biological father at least

every weekend. Addison is very comfortable being around family, and he enjoys their company

very much. His parents are both remarried. He lives with his step dad and biological mother. His

step-father has two children, and he treats Addison like his own. His step-father and biological

father have a good relationship, which helps support Addison’s mental health. Addison loves to

hang out with his friends, primarily Chandler and Tate, but would much rather spend time with

his siblings and parents. He loves his big family.

Unlike many children today, due to the lockdown, Addison performs above grade level in

certain subjects. In school, Addison sometimes struggles with math courses, but not very often.

He simply does not have a strong interest in the subject. However, he enjoys science and social

studies classes. Some of his classmates make comments on his weight, which he finds to be very

discouraging. He told me that despite this, he enjoys physical sports very much. He talks about

how he is excited to hit puberty, as he has watched his older brother sprout up and get skinny

after having a similar body type as Addison.

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Physical Development

Addison is 85 pounds, which is slightly overweight for the average nine-year-old male. In

the textbook, it states that obesity can become a problem for some children of this age group due

to a specific food group. According to Snowman (2015), “Because nine- and ten-year-olds have

more control over their eating habits than younger children do, there is a greater tendency for

them to overeat, particularly junk food.” Addison often craves fattening junk food from his

favorite fast-food restaurant chain. In my time observing him, it seems he asks to stop by

McDonald’s whenever his mother has him in the car with her. It is hard for her to say no to him.

Besides his homework, Addison spends most of his time watching television and playing video

games, which is another factor contributing to his weight. Ideally, children in his age group are

encouraged to perform one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day to upkeep their

health (The Nemours Foundation, 2016).

Addison is very close to average height for his age. He also seems to be growing at a

steady pace. He is four feet and two inches tall. The average height for children his age is four

feet and three inches tall (IAC Publishing Labs Company, 2016). Video games are not the only

games Addison enjoys. He likes sports and is good at games that are rougher and require more

physical contact. For example, his favorite games are football and basketball, both of which he

performs exceptionally for his age. He likes to run fast and jump high. Addison has a very

competitive spirit. Research shows that children in his age group prove that males are prone to

play rougher sports than females. This is because study shows that males have the need to prove

that they are strong. Addison also has visual impairment. He has worn glasses for 2 years.

Wearing glasses is not common for kids his age. Because Addison has visual impairment, this

may possibly be due to his weight for his age.

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Emotional Development

When I observed Addison, I saw that he would repeatedly ask his parents and siblings if

they loved him. This usually happened when Addison was not in the best of dispositions. He

seemed to be insecure and unsure of himself quite often. According to UC Berkeley professor,

Martin Covington, “the fear of failure is directly linked to your self-worth, or the belief that you

are valuable as a person (2013).” This leads me to believe that he seeks not only love, but

approval from external forces such as people. This is because he has a great fear of failure.

During one of my observations, Addison got a tutoring lesson in math from his twenty-

year-old cousin, Logan. I noticed that Addison would consistently ask Logan if he was doing a

good job while working through these various math problems. Logan always assures him that he

is doing great, and that never fails to bring a smile to his face. Children his age develop coping

skills to regulate their emotions. For example, crying. Addison does tend to cry in order to cope

with and release his emotions. Center for Parent Information and Resources (2016), states that,

“The symptoms of emotional disturbance are hyperactivity, short-attention span, immaturity,

inappropriate crying, poor coping skills, and performs below grade level.” Addison exhibits a

majority of these traits, which indicates that he may not be emotionally stable.

I also observed that Addison goes to his mother more repeatedly for comfort, help and

presents his needs to her, exclusively. He does this despite having a good relationship with his

step-father and biological father. This can be because children, especially male children, show

affection and express their emotions to their maternal figures more often than to their paternal

figures. This is because of fear that their said paternal figure will react negatively because it is an

opposition to masculinity (Odle, 2013). This could also be due to, and even contribute to, his fear

of failure and low self-worth.

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Philosophical Development

Addison grew up in a household who holds Christian beliefs. Christianity is a religion

based upon the teachings and miracles of Jesus (Slick, 2016). As is typical of children raised in a

household where parents revere a certain religion, Addison holds firm beliefs in the values and

beliefs of Christianity. As a result, his observed behavior falls in line with and reflects the values

and beliefs associated with being a Christian. Although he is still a child, he is slowly

understanding that his philosophical perspective and beliefs are heavily influenced by his

parents. Personally, I found this sense of self-awareness to be rather impressive, considering he

is only one month into being nine years old.

Addison is sensitive to what is considered to be right and wrong according to his parents

and societal standards. As a result, Addison has displayed a pattern of expressing guilt for doing

what is perceived as wrong to him. He also tends to complain to his mother about his poor self-

image. This causes him to feel guilty for his own negative self-perception and self-worth because

she always tells him that he is wrong. As children, we are constantly reminded of what we do

and whether it is right or wrong. This causes children to feel as though it is necessary to

constantly seek approval from an authority figure by making sure they do what’s right-

especially in front of an authority figure. This is called, bothered conscience (Barker, 2003).

Addison also holds his older brother, Michael, in high regard. For instance, when

separating into groups at church, his parents observed that Addison has a tendency to always

follow his brother and copy his behavior. According to Parenthood, the website, “Young children

almost always look up to their older siblings. And that’s usually a good thing (Pisano, 2016). His

parental figures also react positively to this behavior, which encourages Addison to emulate his

brother.
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Social Development

Addison is extremely successful when it comes to social engagements. He is increasingly

outgoing, confident and does not display any behavior that would make him come off as timid or

shy when he approaches anyone and interacts with them. Addison told me that in the library at

school, he talks to the other children as they walk by. When he needs something, he has no issue

with approaching and asking librarians for help. Although he does not appear to be aware of

other people’s reactions to his bold behaviors, he has no problem being an open book to others.

Addison is an extrovert, meaning that he “tend[s] to crave activity, attention and engagement,

[and he] can become bored easily in the absence of people to connect with or something to really

focus their energy on (Chidester, 2012).” Addison’s entire family presents this same demeanor in

their social interactions. Addison may be an extrovert because, “children’s development is

influenced by wider networks of social support, including extended family, friends and any

community, cultural or religious a child may be part of (Australian Psychological Society,

2016).”

Addison has a strong sense of self-reliance. He knows what to do and how to do or

effectively participate in the hobbies, activities and other things that he enjoys. Addison uses his

self-reliance to get classwork and homework done. He understands that no one is going to come

and do his work for him. This self-reliance Addison has is the type where one is: “confident

enough to do things by oneself in one’s own way, without help or guidance or recommendations

offered by anyone (NLP, 2014).” Addison does not have social consciousness. When other kids

get embarrassed by typical things kids can be ashamed of, Addison does not get affected or react

in any way. Instead, he carries on as if nothing happened.

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Intellectual Development

Addison is in the GATE program at his school. He asks many thought-provoking and

open-ended questions. The typical questions he asks are similar to things grown-ups would ask.

It is as if he is seeking to start a career somewhere in whatever special project the GATE

program is doing. This is a sign of an advanced intellectual ability. Piaget and Inhelder (1969),

describe intellectual development as: “a series of stages through which children make qualitative

changes as they acquire new knowledge.” Addison appears to be in the higher level of these

stages.

Addison is at the level of awareness where he understands is not the center of his world

anymore. He is no longer egocentric. Addison shows a great deal of interest in the occurrences

and events happening around him, along with the news that is being circulated in our world. It is

not typical of a boy his age to be so invested in current events. Addison even writes himself

guides to the universe in his notebook when he is bored. He will research each planet and write

notes based on his findings. He is very healthy in his intellectual development. According to

UNICEF, when “a child develops appropriately, the changes that occur in a child are maturity

and readiness to learn” (UNICEF, 2009). Addison does not display any behaviors that would

lead one to believe that he is immature.

Addison’s mother, father, step-father and siblings are all extremely willing to help him if

he ever gets stuck or does not know what to do for his daily homework or occasional projects.

According to Quigley, “Children will be able to obey only if they clearly understand what is

being asked of them and what steps to take to accomplish the task” (Quigley, 2011).” Because of

the clear directions and knowledge Addison gets from his supportive family members, he does
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very well concerning his homework. Addison displays strong intelligence in his accuracy and

pace at which he does his work.

Graph
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Source: http://halls.md/chart-boys-height-w/.

Recommendations

There is a small amount of things I would suggest his parents and teachers look into

concerning Addison Macht’s development. He is slightly overweight, which may be contributing

to his visual impairment. I understand that it is hard to say no to your child, but I suggest his

parents hit the brakes on getting him McDonald’s every week. This could also be a factor

contributing to his slightly shorter stature than average, despite the rigorous games he enjoys to

play at recess and during his physical education classes. I also suggest that Addison be

encouraged or given the opportunity to participate more often in the sports he enjoys. His

siblings and cousins could take him to the park and play basketball or football with him more

often.

Addison is incredibly smart for his age, but he appears to be experiencing symptoms

similar to those of ADHD/ADD concerning his emotional behaviors. This possibility would

explain his extreme difficulty when it comes to paying attention to and learning about things that

don’t capture his interests, such as the math portion of his class. It is not that he cannot solve

math problems. Addison just usually needs someone to sit with him and talk him through the

problem. His cousin, Logan, reports that he catches on immediately, he just needs some

assistance giving the problems his full attention. He may be in the gifted program, but gifted is

not synonymous with mentally healthy. For this, I suggest that the parents and teachers do their

research into the possibility of Addison having ADHD/ADD. Understanding this

neurodevelopmental disorder would be the first step to managing it along with supplementing his

emotional sensitivity. Other than that, Addison is a very confident child. I would say the parents
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should continue doing what they’re doing as far as encouraging him to do his best in school and

finish his homework.

References

● Aggression in sports: Females vs. Males | Gender, Leisure ... (n.d.). Retrieved October

24, 2016, from https://genderleisureandsport.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/aggression-in-

sports-females-vs-males/.

● Barker, P. (2003, July). Guilt and Shame | Beyond Intractability. Retrieved October 24,

2016, from http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/guilt-shame.

● Chidester, J. (2012, October 10). E is for Extrovert. Retrieved October 24, 2016, from

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/972879/parenting-an-extroverted-child

● Emotional Development | Education.com. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2016, from

http://www.education.com/reference/article/emotional-development/.

● Emotional Disturbance | Center for Parent Information and ... (n.d.). Retrieved October

24, 2016, from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/emotionaldisturbance/.

● Facts for Life - Child Development and Early Learning. (2009). Retrieved October 24,

2016, from http://www.factsforlifeglobal.org/03/.

● Get Active | Let's Move! (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2016, from

http://www.letsmove.gov/get-active.

● How to Help Kids Overcome Fear of Failure | Greater Good. (n.d.). Retrieved October

24, 2016, from

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_help_kids_overcome_fear_of_f.

● Intellectual Development | Education.com. (2014, April 23). Retrieved October 24, 2016,

from http://www.education.com/reference/article/intellectual-development/.
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● Pisano. (n.d.). The Influence of Older Siblings. Retrieved October 24, 2016, from

http://www.parenthood.com/article/the_influence_of_older_siblings.html#.WA2eO5MrK

● Quigley. (2011). Obedience | Kids and Values. Retrieved October 24, 2016, from

http://kidsandvalues.com/values-lessons/obedience/.

● School-aged Vision: 6 to 18 Years of Age - aoa.org. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2016,

from https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-health-for-life/school-aged-vision?sso=y.

● Self-reliance - NLP AND MOTIVATIONAL SITE. (2014). Retrieved October 24, 2016,

from http://www.mymotivational-nlp.com/self-reliance.

● Slick, M. (n.d.). What is Christianity? | Christianity is based on Jesus. Retrieved October

24, 2016, from https://carm.org/what-is-christianity.

● Social development | kidsmatter.edu.au. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2016, from

http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/social-and-emotional-

learning/social-development.