PEPSI SCREENING

Pepsi Screening
Layla Ward
College of Southern Nevada

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Biography

This PEPSI screening will be on a 6 year old female student currently in Kindergarten
named Jordyn. She started in a Head Start program at five years old and has been going to school
since then. She is a part of a low-SES household. Jordyn lives with 8 other female children under
the age of 5. They are often watched by one to two adults. She is only at this home for three days
a week, with her father. The education level in the home is below high school graduation for all
adults.
The remaining four days of the week she is at her mothers house. She lives with her one,
blood sister, whom is two years younger. This household is also low-SES. The mother has
completed some college, and received a high school diploma with honors.
Her two homes contrast greatly. While living with her father she enjoys freedom and a
lack of rules, as well as constant company from other children. While living with her mother she
has set rules, chores, and expectations. In addition, she is spends a great deal of time by herself.
She experiences a period of neglect in her early life, between the ages of 2-3. Her parents
divorced when she was three years old, and her mother left the state for several months. Both
parents have entered new relationships, and she is living in two separate two-parent homes.

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Physical

Jordyns physical development is normal for her age. She has mastered her fine motor
skills and is able to write and hold a pencil correctly. She is also able to cut paper and manipulate
small items like beads. She is in the 85th percentile for her height, and the 50th percentile for her
weight. This is all within normal range.
She is also able to run, jump, skip, and climb. She can play games such as hop scotch,
which require hand-eye coordination. She is able to catch most easy tosses, and can throw items
at a target (Lee, 2015). She has lost one baby tooth, and has another one loose (Lee, 2015).
She is also able to dress and care for her personal hygiene appropriately for her age (Lee,
2015). She can dress and undress herself, although she frequently experiences frustration and
reacts emotionally. She is able to brush her teeth on her own, wash her hands, and brush the front
of her hair. She can swing on her own and hold her breath under water. She is also learning
balance by riding her bike and is finding her center of gravity.

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Emotional

She is also establishing self-esteem based on academic and nonacademic abilities, as

most children her age (Slavin, 2015). She has been establishing self-esteem based on her abilities
since preschool years and seems to have an advanced self-awareness. She often avoids activities
that she has previously failed in, as a way to prevent internal disappointment. The opposite is
true for activities she is competent in. She is able to validate herself when avoiding these
activities. She searches for opportunities to show her abilities and skills and enjoys positive
reinforcement. When she is particularly excited about an ability, she will do a happy dance,
which seems to be an automatic response to a feeling of pride.
She is able to focus on some abstract, internal qualities at an appropriate level for her age
(Slavin, 2015). When asked what she likes about herself she states many physical features but is
also able to name personality traits like she is helpful and funny. She can explain why she likes a
person with simple abstract traits. She can also explain why she doesnt like someone.
She has very strong emotional reactions to certain situations, which cause her to hide and
cry. She attempts to hide her emotional pain. When I asked her why she does it, she responded,
When I cry it makes everyone madder and I get sad and cry more. She is able to name
emotions and also point out the cause of them. On most occasions she will verbally express that
she is sad, mad, hyper, excited, or bored. She will also state what person or situation
has made her feel that way. This is a normal level of emotional awareness for her age (Slavin,
2015)
She has emotional breakdowns when she feels that, my mom and dad love my sister
more. She has expressed low self-esteem and a strong jealousy towards her sister. When family

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members play with her sister she will often cry in her room until someone asks what is wrong.
She regularly expresses that no one loves her. She still has a young emotional mind. It seems
that she is developing very well in other areas, but her emotional growth is stunted by trauma at
home.

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Philosophical

She has primarily egocentric ways of thinking, which is a trait of her age group (Slavin,
2015). When asked to explain her logic, it is always based on her view of the world. She sees
situations in her perspective only, and fails to put herself in someone elses shoes. Mediation
with adults allow her to think in terms of other people, she is able to grasp the concept and react
accordingly.
Jordyns philosophical reasoning seems to be far advanced for her age. She shows traits
of autonomous morality, which is not usually seen until the child is ten years old (Slavin, 2015).
She often questions rules and morals with hypothetical situations that could change the outcome
and response. One example is a discussion I had with her about police officers. We were
discussing that police officers do not simply shoot bad guys, but instead, they give tickets or take
them to jail. When she was told that they only shoot bad guys when the bad guy has a gun,
or when they are protecting themselves, she began to hypothesize. She saw the rule that police
officers cant shoot unless they are in danger, and she found circumstances that would go against
those rules. She asked, What if a kid has a toy gun? What if they arent pointing it at the police
officer? and other questions that would further the discussion.
She is able to justify her reasoning behind her actions by explaining her intentions. She is
also able to do this when justifying the actions of her younger sister. She is quick to believe that
everyone generally has good intentions, and is able to see that sometimes the outcome of a good
intention is not good at all. This is beyond the normal six year old idea of rules, which are seen
as unchangeable and not based with reason (Slavin, 2015).

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Social

Jordyn can be seen interacting appropriately for her age on social levels. She is
developing a public self through school, as children in middle childhood should be (Slavin,
2015). She can separate herself from other members of her class when telling stories. She is able
to compare herself to other students, and often speaks on their social qualities, strengths, and
flaws. One example would be when she tells a story of her friend Josiah. According to her,
Josiah whispers bad words in my ear all the time. I tell him not to, because I dont think its
very nice. She is able to voice her opinion in a social setting, distinctively from other students.
She also uses social comparison frequently, which is advanced for her age group (Slavin, 2015).
She will compare her actions to her peers, and describe her behavior as better or worse.
She is often trying to prove that she is grown up, which is characteristic of the industry
versus inferiority phase of early childhood (Slavin, 2015). She is easily upset when another child
completes a task that she was unable to do. This is likely a result of being one of the oldest
children at her fathers house, where she is constantly reminded of her grown-up abilities. She
will offer to help younger siblings with things like getting milk, turning on lights, and working
other electronics. She is satisfied socially when she is able to help others, but only when an adult
is watching.
When she is with other children unsupervised she often takes on the role of an angry
parent, which is concerning for a child her age. She attempts to control the younger children and
reacts angrily when they cant do things on their own. When she believes she is unsupervised her
social interaction with other children changes drastically. She will quickly tell adults when other
children are not behaving. When asked about her interaction with the children at her fathers

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house, she states that, I have to do everything, all the time. All the other kids are bad all the time
and are mean to me.
Interestingly, she talks about most of her friends being boys. She doesnt tell stories or
name any girls that she plays with. This again, is possibly due to her fathers home with nine
girls and no boys. This is uncommon for young elementary school, when children usually group
by gender (Slavin, 2015). She also seeks acceptance from her peer groups. She says that she
wont wear a certain color because Josiah doesnt like that color. This is common for her age
group (Slavin, 2015).

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Intellectual

Jordyn is nearing the end of the preoperational stage of cognitive thinking, and
has passed most characteristics of this phase. She is beginning to understand the idea of
conservation, which most children lack during this stage. She is able to understand quantities that
may not be directly comparable on occasion. She is starting to concentrate on two aspects of a
situation at once. An example would be when playing with play-dough with her sister, she is able
to see that two small cups of playdough are equal to the one bigger cup her sister has. This is still
a work-in-progress and she often can only understand these ideas when each logical step is
explained by an adult. That being said, it is normal to lack these abilities for her age group
(Slavin, 2015).
She has mostly correct word usage, including plurals and irregular verbs at a normal level
for her age (Slavin, 2015). She has some literary traits from her fathers home, which include the
regular use of doubt negatives and replacing the words has have and had with got.
However, she can comprehend sentences with the correct use of those words. She is able to
comprehend complex sentences or ask what particular words mean. She can also rhyme words,
compare items, and grasp new concepts quickly.
She can solve simple problems appropriately for her age group, or sometimes with the
help of an adult. This is a normal development pattern (Slavin, 2015). For example, if she is
trying to move something and it is stuck, she is able to find the source of the problem and
attempt to solve it.

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PEPSI SCREENING
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6
5
4
3
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0

Physical

Emotional

Philosophical
Normal Range

Social

Intellectual

Jordyn

Chart based on comprehensive developmental survey given to Jordyn and parents

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Recommendations

Jordyn should not need any altered lesson plans in school. She is excelling in every
developmental area with the exception of emotional, which should be considered in everyday
activities. If at all possible, avoid asking questions beyond her comprehension level. This will
help her self-esteem grow, and avoid the educational toll of her emotional responses. When she is
unable to complete a given task, or fails to meet her expectations for herself, it is important to
give her the space she needs to calm down. She often feels unimportant when she is not chosen
to give the correct answer. While you cannot show her any favoritism, it is important to allow her
opportunities to answer questions when she is very sure of herself. Dont call on her when she is
not raising her hand; She wont know the answer. If she has an answer she is going to offer it
eagerly. Calling on her when she doesnt know will only make her panic internally and withdraw
from the lesson and classroom.
As a parent, it is important to take her emotional needs into consideration when creating
expectations for her. It is very similar to the slight changes that a teacher needs to make. You will
need to give her many opportunities to show off her abilities. In addition, parents need to be
careful not to ask her to do things she is physically or mentally incapable of. If she is asked to
complete a task she will put forth ample effort to make you and herself proud. If she cannot
complete what is asked of her, do not react negatively. Instead, explain how the task was very
hard for you at that age. Help her see that she is not wrong for not being able to do something.
One last thing that Jordyn particularly thrives on is the reactions she gets from making a
teacher/parent/caregiver happy. This is one of her most basic joys in life. When she presents you
with a gift, it is crucial to acknowledge it gratefully and genuinely. She is very in tune with the
emotions of others and she is aware when you are faking gratitude. Find something within her

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gift or action that you can truly be thankful for. This helps boost her confidence, feel important,
worthy, and capable. These are the main areas that she struggles with emotionally, and it is up to
the adults in her life to help her strengthen these areas.

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References
Lee, K. (2015). Aboutcom. Retrieved 1 March, 2016, from
http://childparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/a/Your-6-Year-Old-ChildPhysical-Development.htm
Slavin, R. E. (n.d.). Educational psychology: Theory and practice.