PEPSI Screening Sharpe 1

PEPSI Screening

Corey Sharpe

Dr. Hooks

Principles of Education Psychology

11/07/20
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Biography

For my observation, I had the privilege of observing the niece of a friend of my wife’s.

Her name is Lamiyah. Lamiyah is a six-year old, African American girl. She is the youngest of

six children and is currently in first grade.

Her father has been working through substance abuse issues, and her mother is in and out

of her life. Her oldest sister, who is 14, helps take care of her. Her aunt does help when she can

but does not have guardianship. Her family is low socioeconomic class.

My initial thoughts about Lamiyah, before observing her, is that she is a typical six-year-

old. She enjoys playing, using her imagination, and creating things by means of crayons, colored

pencils, and paint. She’s very active and she’s well mannered.
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Physical Development

Lamiyah is right in range with where her physical development should be for a six year

old girl in terms of her height and weight. She weighs around 47 pounds and is 3 feet, 10 inches

in height. She loves being outdoors and running around outside. I noticed that when she would

take a break from being outdoors, she would only stay inside for a few minutes before heading

outside once again. In an article about six-year-olds and their physical developments, it says,

“Most six-year-olds will have lots of energy and will need time outdoors to burn it off…In fact,

research also supports that exercise is beneficial for cognitive function.” (Morin, 2019)

Even though Lamiyah is very physical and likes playing outdoors, she enjoys snacks.

Almost every break that she would take from playing would involve her asking for a snack when

she would go inside. While her snacking could lead to issues of overeating, her physical

activities help counterbalance the effects of snacking. “When timed correctly, snacks can help

kids get the energy and nutrients they need.” (Shield, 2019)

Lamiyah wears glasses to help with a lazy eye. When she forgets to wear them, she has

sever headaches which cause her to feel sick. She also has some difficulties with concentrating

and even running into things because she doesn’t have her glasses. An article from Essilor USA

says, “Not wearing glasses also poses an interruption to daily life as you might bump into or trip

over things, be unable to see far away or up close (more on that later), or have trouble reading or

seeing at night.” (Essilor)

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Emotional Development

Due to Lamiyah’s mother being in and out of her life, she is prone to exhibit hysterical

tantrums when things are not going her way. This also happens when Lamiyah is feeling anxious

or is not doing well in school. Because she doesn’t have her mother and her father staying on top

of her schoolwork, Lamiyah started getting behind on her assignments. When she was told that

she needed to do her work to catch up, she laid on the floor and started screaming because, as she

put it, “It’s too much work.” In an article titled, “Why do kids have tantrums and meltdowns,”

Caroline Miller states, “When children don’t develop emotional regulation as a part of normal

development, the causes are varied…Sometimes the inability to regulate emotions is the result of

an underlying problem.” (Miller, 2020)

Lamiyah is very close to her aunt, who she affectionally refers to as her, “Tete.” Due to

the relationship Lamiyah has with her mother, she is very close to her aunt in a way in which

most kids would be close to their mother. In a Washington Post article that talks about the

significant role that aunts and uncles play in their niece’s and nephew’s lives, Melanie Notkin,

founder of SavvyAuntie.com, had this to say. “Aunts and uncles don’t have to be involved so

much as they choose to be involved.” (Leftwich, 2017)

Lamiyah spent some time painting pumpkins for Halloween. Not only would she ask her

aunt how her pumpkins looked, but she would ask me multiple times if her pumpkins looked

good. She would comment that, “I don’t want them to look bad,” which I told her they looked

great and that she was doing a great job. In a 2018 blog post by Janet Lansbury, she says that

children might constantly seek validation from others is because their confidence has taken a hit.

(Lansbury, 2018)
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Other than her tantrums that she throws, I believe that Lamiyah is well behaved for

someone who doesn’t have a secure parental figure in their life. She is courteous, kind, and

always says “please” and “thank you.”

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Philosophical Development

Lamiyah has a firm understanding between what is right and what is wrong. I noticed that

she would often ask if what she was doing was something good or bad. Lamiyah also showed

that she has guilt whenever she would do something that was inappropriate. She understands that

when she does something that is wrong, that there are consequences to her actions and that her

actions can have an effect on the people around them. Chapter 2 in the textbook says, “As

children interact with their environment, parents, teachers, and age-mates, they form organized,

generalizable patterns of behavior…” (Snowman & McCown, 2014, p. 40)

Lamiyah believes in God and Jesus Christ. “Christianity is pretty simple. It’s all about

one life, the life of Jesus the Son of God.” (Cran, 2013) This is largely due to her aunt’s

influence and her beliefs that she has shared with Lamiyah. I believe that Lamiyah has benefited

tremendously from having faith to help her cope with her situation at home. Something I

observed is how her aunt doesn’t force these beliefs on to Lamiyah, but rather asks her questions

about Jesus and God and allows her to respond. “Your child may not be ready to trust in Jesus

the first time you talk with her about becoming a Christian. Don't force your child to pray a

prayer she's not ready to pray. Instead, let her know that she can talk to you anytime.” (Holmes,

2014)
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Social Development

Lamiyah can be social; however, it does take her time to warm up to adults. The first time

I met Lamiyah, she was very hesitant with speaking to me. She would look at me from the

corners of her eyes and then immediately put her head down if she noticed I was looking at her.

An article titled, Children with Shy or Slow to Warm Up Temperaments, states, “Children who

are slow to warm up often need time and support from trusted caregivers to feel comfortable

interacting in new places or with new people.” (Lerner and Parlakian, 2016) Her aunt reassured

her that I was friendly, and she shouldn’t be worried about me. After she warmed up to me, she

would constantly ask me questions about myself. Heidi Gazelle, a senior lecturer in

developmental psychology, said, “Some children are “slow to warm up” or engage with others,

but do engage well after initial hesitancy…It is common for children to be wary of adults,

particularly men…” (Gazelle, 2016)

“Making friends is a vital part of growing up and an important part of a child’s social and

emotional development.” (Iannellil, 2020) Lamiyah was quick to become friends with my three-

year-old daughter. Watching them interact as opposed as to how she interacted with me was like

watching two different genres of movies. She had no issue making a connection with my

daughter who is three years her junior. When they were playing, it seemed like Lamiyah was a

totally different child, a child that had more confidence. Lamiyah was very respectful in making

sure that my daughter had a turn with the toys that they were playing with.
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Intellectual Development

Lamiyah is very smart for her age; however, she does have some issues with

focusing her attention on what she is doing. While observing, she was working on some

homework. She would be doing fine for a few minutes, but then her eyes would quickly start to

wander around the room. Eventually, it would be as if the homework was no longer there. It

wasn’t until she was told that she needed to keep working that she would go back to doing her

work. An article from understood.org says, “Focus challenges are real. It doesn’t mean that kids

aren’t working hard or aren’t intelligent… Kids may want to focus on something, but just not

manage to do it.” (Team, 2020)

One thing that I did notice with Lamiyah during my observation is she has a

difficult time when it comes to pronouncing words. She works with her aunt reading and spelling

out words regularly. I believe that a big reason for her difficulties comes from her eyesight.

While Lamiyah does wear glasses, she will sometimes misplace them, sometimes for days at a

time. “To a striking degree, children’s school performance and how they feel and behave in class

is affected by vision…80 percent of all learning during a child’s first 12 years comes through the

eye.” (Arnold, 2016)

“Young kids encounter something new, learn a little bit about it, get curious and

then continue to add on a little more information with each new discovery.” (Schwartz, 2016)

Lamiyah is very inquisitive about the world around her. She tends to ask a lot of questions about

what’s going on in the world, and more specifically, she asks many personal questions so she can

get a better idea of who she is talking to.

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Graphs

The following graphs can be found on the website https://halls.md/average-height-weight-

charts/. They include markers for where Lamiyah is currently at for her height and weight as

indicated by the dots and the arrows pointing to said dots on the graphs.
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Recommendations

Physical Recommendation: https://www.verywellfamily.com/kids-physical-activity-at-school-

4083034 This website helps give ideas on how to get kids to be more physically active during

school. It also includes ways for teachers to include physical activities during the COVID-19

pandemic.

Emotional Recommendation: https://pathways.org/topics-of-development/social-emotional/ This

website gives some good insight on how to recognize children that are going through different

emotional states and how to help them overcome these situations.

Psychological Recommendation: https://www.mhanational.org/what-every-child-needs-good-

mental-health This website offers the different warning signs to know when children are having

psychological issues. There are also links that can help children with ADHD, Depression, and

many different mental health conditions. There are also suggestions on how to handle different

situations.

Social Recommendation: https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/school-readiness-

how-to-improve-social-skills-in-kids This website offers ideas and suggestions on how to help

children engage with others in social situations.

Intellectual Recommendation: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/children-and-

youth/intellectual-development-in-children#.X6ZUw1hKiM8 This website gives an explanation

about what cognitive/ intellectual development is. It also gives suggestions on how to encourage

intellectual growth in children from ages five to eleven.

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Reference Page

Arnold, C. (2016, September 7). Children’s success in school affected by vision. The

Hub. https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2016/fall/baltimore-kids-eyeglasses-program/

Crain, A. (2013, July 23). What Is Christianity? Christianity.Com.

https://www.christianity.com/god/jesus-christ/the-basics/what-is-christianity-alex-crain.html

Effects of Not Wearing Glasses. (n.d.). Essilorusa.Com.

https://www.essilorusa.com/newsroom/effects-of-not-wearing-glasses

Gazelle, H. (2016, July 27). Childhood shyness: when is it normal and when is it cause

for concern? TheConversation.Com. https://theconversation.com/childhood-shyness-when-is-it-

normal-and-when-is-it-cause-for-concern-60364

Holmes, L. (2014, January 1). Introduce Your Child to Jesus. Lifeway.Com.

https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/parentlife-introduce-your-child-to-jesus

Iannelli, V. (2020, August 21). How Parents Can Help Their Children Make Friends.

VerywellFamily.Com. https://www.verywellfamily.com/making-and-keeping-friends-2633627

Lansbury, J. L. (2018, September 24). 4 Reasons Children Seek Validation (And How to

Respond). Childmind.Org. https://www.janetlansbury.com/2018/09/4-reasons-children-seek-

validation-and-how-to-respond/

Leftwich, M. L. (2017, May 26). The important role of aunts and uncles in children’s

lives. WashingtonPost.Com.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2017/05/26/the-underrated-role-of-aunts-

and-uncles/
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Lerner, C., & Parlakian, R. (2016, February 18). Children with Shy or Slow to Warm Up

Temperaments. Zerotothree.Org. https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/198-children-with-shy-

or-slow-to-warm-up-temperaments

Miller, Caroline. “Why Do Kids Have Tantrums and Meltdowns?” Child Mind Institute,

27 Oct. 2020, childmind.org/article/why-do-kids-have-tantrums-and-meltdowns/.

Morin, A. M. (2019, October 2). Everything You Need to Know About Your 6-Year-Old’s

Development. Verywellfamily.Com. https://www.verywellfamily.com/6-year-old-

developmental-milestones-620703#citation-1

Schwartz, K. (2016, February 9). How to Bring “More Beautiful” Questions Back to

School. KQED.Org. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/43596/how-to-bring-more-beautiful-

questions-back-to-school

Shield, J. E. S. (2019, March 4). When Should My Kids Snack? Eatright.Org.

https://www.eatright.org/Error-500?aspxerrorpath=/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-

myplate/when-should-my-kids-snack

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2014). Psychology Applied to Teaching (14th ed.).

Cengage Learning.

https://ng.cengage.com/static/nb/ui/evo/index.html?deploymentId=487356232892853502396290

57&eISBN=9781305390676&id=914166719&nbId=1947230&snapshotId=1947230&

Team, T. U. (2020, October 22). Understanding Your Child’s Trouble With Focus.

Understood.Org. https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-

disabilities/distractibility-inattention/understanding-your-childs-trouble-with-focus