PEPSI Screening

Luis Mendez

EDU 220 - Principles of Educational Psychology

Dr. Vincent Richardson

7/11/2021
 Biography

Maximiliano Marcelo Mendez Penrod was born under a blue moon at St. Rose

Dominican Hospital in Henderson, Nevada on August 1st, 2015 at 4:29 AM. His parents had

fully intended on having Max’s birth take place at their home with the help of a midwife but after

36 hours of intense labor they decided to go to the hospital. Max weighed exactly 8 lbs. and was

a perfectly healthy and beautiful baby boy,

Growing up in Henderson, his mother, a professional educator, would regularly take him

on hikes at Mt. Charleston and Red Rock Canyon where he acclimated to scrambling on rocks,

finding his strong sense of balance, and nurturing his love for the natural world. As a student of

Wild Things Nature School at 3 years old, Max was already an eager explorer and learner,

constantly talking, singing, and asking questions. He was rarely shy and was quick to make

friends with classmates, developing his social skills and self-awareness at an early age.

When Max was 4 his parents decided to buy a house on Howard Ave. near downtown

Las Vegas and he experienced his first major life change. It was not long thereafter that another

major life changing event took place when his baby brother Samuel Augustus was born on the

day after Christmas in 2019. Max was elated to have a little brother and he was proud to help

take care of little Sammy in whatever way he could.

Max’s furious love for books and stories fueled his academic pursuits and he excelled in

reading and writing during his kindergarten and first grade years. He enjoyed taking private

piano lessons and was always encouraged to express himself musically by his father, a

professional drummer. Max also enjoys playing with Lego bricks, riding his electric motor bike,

and putting on puppet shows.

 Observations Concerning Physical Development

Max is a 6 year old boy. Using the PEPSI observation chart (Ellsworth) for physical, the

following physical characteristics were observed:

Height 44 inches

Weight 45 lbs

Build Slim

Complexion Clear and pale, white light skinned

Sex role Male

Appearance Clean, well fed, and bright/alert

Agility Can step from one object to another over lava and maintain balance

Carriage Walks upright, good posture, when playing is often in a thinking man
position

Coordination Can identify right from left, but frequently needs reminders. Cross body
activities like piano, he does well, but struggles with arm and leg
movements in dancing. He disagrees.

Fine motor skills Uses writing utensils appropriately, good pencil. Manipulates and builds
with LEGO bricks exceptionally well.

Max is slightly below the average height and weight of boys his age as his parents came

from families with members that were of relatively average height. Since his six month check-up

with the pediatrician, he has consistently been below the 35% in height and weight. According to

his parents, Max enjoys being physically active at home, participating in a variety of programs

including swimming lessons, ballet classes and weekend multi-sport camps. His adeptness at

rock scrambling and motor biking signify some gross muscle refinement and his piano playing

abilities are an example of his progressing fine motor skills. Some of Max’s classmates have

already lost a couple of teeth but his smile remained windowless as of the release of this case
study. According to Dentistry for Children, “Children start to lose baby teeth as early as age four

while others won’t meet the tooth fairy until age seven.” (Dentistry for Children)

Max displays most of the typical characteristics expected of a healthy developing 6 year

old boy, none of which seem to adversely affect his performance in the classroom. His parents

claim that he is normally calm and rarely “hyper” though he can be fidgety and has a recent habit

of chewing on his shirt collar. Mother states she believes this is related to nervousness due to the

extreme life changes of the past year including a new baby brother, quarantining, virtual

kindergarten, and in person learning through a pandemic. “Primary grade children are still

extremely active. Because they are frequently required to participate in sedentary pursuits,

energy is often released in the form of nervous habits—for example, pencil chewing, fingernail

biting, and general fidgeting.” (Snowman and McCown p.84)

As Max continues to physically develop and refine his motor skills, like all six-year-old

boys, he needs to actively engage in sporting activities every day. Limit Max’s television time to

one hour a day and provide opportunities for him to play outside as often as you can. Gross

motor activities such as climbing, jumping and swinging will further strengthen the vestibular

and proprioceptive systems. Research has shown that a strong foundation in these systems leads

to better focus, writing skills, and a better sense of the laws of nature.

Observations About Emotional Development

During a ten minute observation of Max at home during summer break, 33/33 (100%) of

the safe/growing descriptors from the Emotional Observation scale (Ellsworth) were observed.

Max played with his younger brother with LEGO bricks and brought out a box of costumes,

helping his brother get dressed. He was relaxed and stimulated, cheerful and delighted
throughout the playtime. Even when his toddler brother pushed him or took items from his

hands, Max responded with a warm and friendly tone, redirecting him to another play item. Of

the Growth issues indicators, Max displayed 12/31 (39%) during the ten minute observation.

Feeling cramped, angry, and irritated due to his younger siblings’ propensity to bite, Max also

displayed annoyance and pain. Max is able to name his emotions and regulate them 3 out of 4

(75%) trials in 10 minutes.

Overall, Max displays levels of emotional maturity that are advanced for a typical 6 year

old boy while maintaining regularity with most standards. It is with a reflective pause that often

precipitates his responses amongst classmates and his naturally pleasant disposition and charm

make him well liked. According to the VeryWell Family website, typical six year old key

milestones in emotional development include “Loves to show off talents, develops improved

self-control skills, shows improved ability to maintain emotional stability” (Morin). During the

10 minute emotional observation, Max was proud of reading out loud and completing a level of

the summer reading program, demonstrated self-control when his younger brother took toys from

his hands, and maintained stable emotional responses.

Max’s needs for feeling safe have been met and he is able to learn and grow at school.

He is trusting, hopeful, excited, confident and comfortable in the classroom. Outside of the

classroom at home with his family, Max is regularly challenged by his baby brother Sam who

presents Max with a variety of growth issues and emotional conflict. According to his parents,

Max is capable of restraining himself when Sam either hurts him or disturbs his play but he is

subject to the occasional outburst, followed by predictable feelings like irritability, anger, guilt

and sadness. Genuine displays of fear, worry, pain, suspicion, confusion, disgust or rejection are

virtually nonexistent and have never been ways to describe Max.

 Max can be extreme with his emotions, particularly with his little brother, quickly turning

from warm and loving to mean and spiteful. His desire for the hyperbolic best and greatest out of

things in life is consistent with most 6 year olds. As stated in the textbook Psychology Applied to

Teaching, “Students are sensitive to criticism and ridicule and may have difficulty adjusting to

failure,” (Snowman and McCown, p.86) and Max is no exception as he does struggle with

feelings of disappointment when his expectations aren’t met.

Continuing to foster a safe environment at home is the key for Max’s emotional

development. Building his sense of trust and autonomy are opportunities to accomplish more

meaningful tasks that contribute to his sense of well being and others. Max could benefit from

explicit modeling by parents of calm, regulated emotional states through adversity. Talking with

Max to vocalize his feelings will help build a better sense of emotional awareness and regulation.

Observations Concerning Philosophical Development

Using the Philosophical checklist (Ellsworth), Max reflected the following personal

philosophies for each trait:

Education is...

Impulse ...no fun.

Self-Protective ...boring.

Conformist ...is essential, something everyone should

have.

Conscientious ...more than book learning, gained in different

ways.

Individualistic ...is not always what it seems to be.

Actualizing ...leads to self-fulfillment and understanding

 Conscientious Conformist ...is an important part of life.

Like most children his age, elements of Max’s philosophical development rely heavily on

routine, structure and consistency and unexpected changes are cause for discomfort. While

ascertaining an awareness beyond himself, Max’s worldview is typically egocentric and he

engages in the occasional power struggle, most often with his brother and rarely with classmates.

He has a flourishing imagination and has created thoughtful stories for his parents about the

Universe and invisible forces like God and gravity. Regularly prompted at home to consider

profoundly deep questions about the nature of reality, Max has been inspired to develop some

interesting concepts about human origin and consciousness. That does not however prevent Max

from having bouts with pessimism, telling petty white lies and struggling to overcome his own

rigidity.

In classroom observations, Max enjoys being bossy and attempts to set and regulate the

rules, sometimes acting in a leadership role but usually as more of an authoritarian. According to

Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development, “If children at this stage are encouraged to make

and do things well, helped to persevere, allowed to finish tasks, and praised for trying, industry

results. If the children’s efforts are unsuccessful or if they are derided or treated as bothersome,

feelings of inferiority result” (Snowman and McCown p.29). It is likely that many of the

negative reflections on education from Max come from an experience unlike any other in

education, starting his path in public education the year of a world wide quarantine and online

learning. His mother was his kindergarten teacher, while also teaching 26 other kindergarteners

remotely. It is likely his negative perceptions of education are clouded by this experience.

According to EdSource, “A University of Oregon report found that about 17% of 1,000 families

surveyed nationally chose to delay kindergarten last fall.” (D'Souza)

 Recommendations to support Max’s philosophical development include exposure to the

arts with free space to think and respond, Exposure to cultural traditions other than his own will

broaden his understanding of the human experience.

Observations Concerning Social Development

Using the PEPSI Observations: Social checklist (Ellsworth), Max is identified as a self-

starter when the task is desirable. He asks for help from the teacher, but not from neighbors. Max

routinely needed redirection to stay on task and was more often than not found chatting instead

of working. These observations are reported from his kindergarten teacher, also his mother.

The percentage of students in kindergarten that work without help is about 60% based on

informal observations and experience from Max’s kindergarten teacher. “This past year has been

such an expectation in the social development of typical kindergartners. My students have

required more of my scaffolding and social support when attempting new or challenging tasks.”

(Penrod). Research shows that social development is key for this age range in building future

confidence and problem solving, interpersonal skills and relationship building. According to

experts in UK presenting to Parliament regarding spring and summer “catch-up” learning plans,

it is “As part of a wider recovery process, children should be encouraged and supported to spend

time outdoors, playing with other children and being physically active. This is not an either-or

decision. Social connection and play offer myriad learning opportunities and are positively

associated with children’s academic attainment and literacy.” (Weale)

Max would greatly benefit from intergenerational play. Intergenerational play provides

opportunities for children just beginning to be independent of the family social structure to learn
from others in a safe and supportive environment. Unstructured play is the greatest laboratory of

early childhood social development. Max will test and be tested by others as they work together

to identify social norms, debating and justifying, creating their own meaning and contexts.

Observations of Intellectual Development

Max is currently experiencing a transition from the latter phase of what is known as Jean

Piaget’s “preoperational” stage of development into the subsequent phase known as “concrete

operational” “The child's thinking during this stage is pre (before) operations. This means the

child cannot use logic or transform, combine or separate ideas (Piaget, 1951, 1952).” Max is on

the precipice of using logical thought processes and his passionate enthusiasm for storytelling

and reading out loud to his friends and family clearly shows his intellect is burgeoning. In

observing Max playing with classmates, he displayed a typical 6-year-old trait Piaget referred to

as animism, the belief that inanimate objects have thoughts and feelings. His imagination and

creativity fuel his ability to play as he continues to establish his foundational knowledge of the

world. Max also regularly engages in “a well-documented phenomenon that Vygotsky called

private speech. Vygotsky described private speech as a transition between speaking with others

and thinking to oneself “(Snowman, McCown, 2014, p.87). His monologues reveal a depth of

interesting ideas and thoughts as he plays and exercises his imagination.

Max is developing his cognitive thinking skills and mental capacity for logic and

reasoning at a pace similar to his classmates. His comprehension of topics he is interested in,

such as reading and writing, is accessing higher levels of complexity and specificity and he is

excited to learn more. Max does sometimes struggle to work within the scholastic framework
due to his natural defiance but it is encouraging to know he feels safe enough to push his

boundaries and limitations.

Recommendations for Max’s furthered intellectual development include continuing to

read varied texts independently and with adults. When a subject is of interest, Max should have

access to literature, media, experiences, and other people that can share knowledge and

information with him as he sees fit. Intellectually, Max will continue to grow as he broadens his

horizons.
 Bibliography

Dentistry for Children. (2021). Losing Baby Teeth: When It's Time to Meet the Tooth Fairy.

Dentistry for Children. Retrieved July 07, 2021, from

https://dentistry4childrenmd.com/blog/losing-baby-teeth-when-its-time-to-meet-the-tooth-fairy/

D'Souza, K. (2021). What happens to children who missed kindergarten during Covid-19 crisis?

EdSource. Retrieved July 06, 2021, from https://edsource.org/2021/what-happens-to-children-

who-missed-kindergarten-during-covid-19-crisis/647721

Ellsworth, J. (1999). PEPSI Observations. ESE 504 Methods and Materials in Special Education.

Retrieved July 6, 2021, from

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

Morin, A. (2019). 6-Year-Old Child Development Milestones. Very Well Family. Retrieved July

08, 2021, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/6-year-old-developmental-milestones-620703

Penrod, J. (2021). Interview [Interview with Kindergarten Teacher].

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2014). Psychology Applied to Teaching. VitalSource Bookshelf.

https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781305176881/

Weale, S. (2021). Call for "summer of play" to help English pupils recover from Covid-19 stress.

The Guardian. Retrieved July 07, 2021, from

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/13/call-for-summer-of-play-to-help-english-

pupils-recover-from-covid-stress?

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