Barbara Chick

PEPSI Screening

EDU 220

4/30/2022
 PEPSI screening

Biography:

The student I chose to evaluate is an 8-year old male who is new to the district. He

recently moved to Las Vegas from Hawaii with his mother. His mother is a single-parent

and the student is an only child. From the time I met this young man, he is introverted

and prefers to keep to himself. I chose to observe this particular student because

although he seems to be a typical functioning student, he exhibits deficits in the areas of

reading, math, and social skills. He spends the majority of his day in the General

Education setting, and a part of the day in a small group Resource Room setting.

Physical Development

Physical development is “the process that starts in human infancy and continues into

late adolescence, concentrating on gross and fine motor skills as well as puberty.

Physical development involves developing control over the body, particularly muscles

and physical coordination.” (Thomas). I observed this student during recess for about 20

minutes. During this time, the student did not engage with his peers but ran around the

playground and also used the playground equipment appropriately. As an “8-year-old

child’s coordination and muscle control continues to become finely tuned, [the] child will

show off their skills on the playground or sports field” (Lee). During this time, we will

notice that a child’s muscle development and coordination will strengthen which will

allow them the capability to perform different activities on the playground.

 While on the playground, I noticed the student did not engage in sports activities

and preferred to play on the playground.I also noticed that the student did not initiate

conversation with peers on the playground. He preferred to play independently on the

equipment, especially the monkey bars. “At this age children level in rough-and-tumble

play such as chasing, wrestling and mock fights. These physical advances, along with

developments in cognitive and social skills, mean that many children now become

enthusiastic about organized team sports” (“BootsWebMD”).

Following recess, the students went back to their classroom where I observed

the student using fine motor skills to write on paper and cut with scissors. I noticed that

the student does not hold his pencil using a tripod grip and I also noticed that he did not

hold his scissors correctly. “During the development process, children have the ability

to self-help and manipulate small objects such as scissors and writing tools.” (Thomas).

I also noticed that the student struggled to write sentences on the lines provided. His

writing was illegible and more large than when compared to his classroom peers. He

needed to be prompted to stay on the lines. According to 8-year old development

Milestones, “Fine motor skills will generally become more precise around age 8.

Handwriting will become smaller, neater, and all of the letters will likely be the same

size. The small muscles will have more stamina so your child may be able to write a full

story without losing precision in their handwriting.” It is evident that the student observed

exhibits deficits in fine motor skills that will hinder his ability to perform clear writing in

the classroom setting.

After observing this student’s lack of fine motor skills, I would recommend that

the student be allowed to use a pencil grip when writing. I would also recommend that
the student be allowed to use wax yarn or a similar tool to help guide him to stay on the

lines when writing. It may also be suggested that the student use a larger print hand-

writing paper to help him stay on the lines until he masters the skill.

For his cutting skills, I would recommend the student use occupational scissors to

practice the proper clamp-grasp until he is able to handle finger grasp scissors.

Emotional Development

Emotional development refers to the ability to recognize, express, and manage

feelings at different stages of life and to have empathy for the feelings of others. During

my observation, I noticed the student does not interact with his classmates. Another

student walked up to him and said, “hi,” but the student did not respond to her. I do not

believe he did not engage to be rude but I do feel that this student prefers to be alone. I

also believe that this student may lack understanding of social cues, especially since he

did not interact with peers on the playground. “At this age you get the use of expressive

behavior to modulate relationship dynamics, such as smiling while reproaching a friend”

(Saarni, 2014). The student being observed does not engage with peers and does not

use expressive behavior when interacting with classroom peers. This student has

deficits in the area of emotional development.

Eight year old children in this age group are often fairly independent and outgoing,

regaining any confidence lost during the early school years. They are increasingly able

to articulate their experiences, thoughts and feelings and are usually comfortable and

eager to talk on the telephone” ( BootsWebMD). During my observation of this student,

he did not engage with other students but did engage in some interaction with the
classroom teacher. He was able to raise his hand and ask to go to the bathroom. The

student was able to demonstrate the ability to express wants and needs but only on his

own terms.

During the emotional stage of development, eight year old “students may show

more sophisticated and complex emotions and interactions,” (Morin, 2022). During this

stage of emotional development, the student should be able to interact in conversation

with his peers and also meaningful conversation with adults. This student seems to be

more shy than his peers and also appears to be below level in the area of emotional

development when compared to his grade level peers.

Philosophical Development

Philosophical development refers to how people grow, adapt, and change over

the course of their lifetime, personality development, socioemotional development,

cognitive development, and language development (Emotional Development,

n.d.).Piaget categorized the stages of development into four distinct categories: the

sensorimotor stage, The preoperational stage, The concrete operational stage, The

formal operational stage (Cherry, 2015).

During this time, I had the opportunity to work one on one with the student so that

I could understand how the student felt and thought about school. Upon interviewing

this student, he explained that going to school is important because he needs to learn

how to read. When I asked him why it is important to read, he did not know how to

articulate his thoughts and instead he shrugged his shoulders. I continued to interview

the student about how he felt about different things. He told me that he thinks family is
important because families love each other and he also explained that recess is

important because it is “fun for kids.”

I continued to interview the student on his likes and interests. He informed me

that he likes Pokemon and likes to watch youtube. When asked what he wants to be

when he grows up, the student answered, “a youtuber.” He then explained to me that he

wants to have his own youtube channel so he can show everyone how to draw

Pokemon.

The student I observed had difficulty maintaining attention. He is often redirected

by the teacher by saying, “Eyes on me,” and needs to be verbally prompted to stay on

task. I also noticed that when the task was too challenging or not of interest to the

student, he would refuse to do his work and would sometimes rip the worksheet or

paper that was instructed to be completed. I also noticed that the student was extremely

impatient and would demand the teacher’s attention. If the teacher was unable to assist

him within a timely manner, the student would shut down and refuse to complete his

work.

My observation concludes that philosophically, the student is in the concrete

stage of development. The student sees things as “black and white,” and is unable to

determine abstract ideas. This student is literal in his explanation and would most likely

struggle with literary text that used metaphors or other figurative language. I would

recommend this student continue to learn different figures of speech and try to take a

more abstract approach to learning and development.

Social Development

“Social development refers to the process by which a child learns to interact with

others around them.” The student I observed is 8 years old. During this stage, children

start trying to prove that they are “grown up”; in fact, this is often described as the I-can-

do-it-myself stage (Emotional Development, n.d.). By this age, children will seek more

independence and demonstrate the ability to care for him/herself.

The student I chose to observe is not out-going or social with his classroom

peers. Instead of building relationships and cooperating in group collaboration, he

chooses to keep to himself and work independently. He does not take an interest in

what his peers have to do or say. At this age students usually enjoy working with others

in groups and begin to consider groups/clubs important and take an interest in it. Eight-

year-old children love being a part of sports teams and other social groups, and will

enjoy close friendships with select friends (Lee, 2015).

Social development goes beyond making friends or working with peers. There is

also a non-verbal communication that is typically understood by children such as giving

a thumbs-up or a high-five to express success or “a job well-done.” I noticed that while

students were playing on the playground and giving each other high-fives, the student I

chose to observe did not partake in non-verbal communication nor did he partake in

verbal communication. During recess, I invited the student to play a game of “Four

Square,” with three other peers. He shook his head, “no” and continued to play on the

monkey bars. When compared to his classmates, it appears this student is socially

below the average range.

Intellectual Development

“Intellectual development measures how individuals learn to think and reason for

themselves in relation to the world around them.”

At the age of eight, the student is considered to be in the concrete operational

stage of development according to Piaget. Children in this stage of development begin

to think more logically, but their thinking can also be very rigid. They tend to struggle

with abstract and hypothetical concepts. At this point, children also become less

egocentric and begin to think about how other people might think and feel. Kids in the

concrete operational stage also begin to understand that their thoughts are unique to

them and that not everyone else necessarily shares their thoughts, feelings, and

opinions (Cherry, 2015).

The student I chose to observe is a literal thinker. I noticed that he is able to read

words fluently but was unable to comprehend when he read. He also struggled with

creating his own ideas. During my observation, the teacher asked the students to write

a few sentences about different activities they wanted to do over summer break.

Although the teacher gave the student several examples, he was unable to come up

with ideas on his own to write about. It took heavy scaffolding to get the student to

successfully articulate “I want to go swimming,” verbally. Once he verbally articulated

his thoughts, he was unable to write the sentence without modeling.

 Although the student struggled with this task, I believe that some of this may be a

result of a lack of processing rather than a lack of intellectual ability.

Next, a student in the concrete operational stage should be able to reason why

they think a certain way. In this case, the student I was observing could not

independently provide a reason as to why he wanted to go swimming over summer

break. I do however believe that if I was given more time with the student, I would be

able to determine other intellectual abilities that did not require verbal communication

and articulation.

Recommendations

The graph below demonstrates the student’s level of functioning in the area of

emotional, philosophical, social, and intellectual growth when compared to on-level

peers. The student falls below the average range when compared to grade level peers

in the areas of social/emotional development, physical development, and intellectual

development. This graph should be used as a reference point to drive instruction to help

bridge the gap between the student’s current performance area and the expected

performance area.

After observing this student’s lack of fine motor skills, I would recommend that

the student be allowed to use a pencil grip when writing. I would also recommend that

the student be allowed to use wax yarn or a similar tool to help guide him to stay on the

lines when writing. It may also be suggested that the student use a larger print hand-

writing paper to help him stay on the lines until he masters the skill.
 For his cutting skills, I would recommend the student use occupational scissors

to practice the proper clamp-grasp until he is able to handle finger grasp scissors.

In emotional skills, the student lacks nonverbal communication skills as well as

social cues. It is important that the student receive emotional support to ensure he is

able to interact with peers. It is also important that the student is taught to express his

wants, needs, and emotions. I would suggest the student use a visual chart to help him

express his feelings during different points of the day. This will be beneficial to help

understand what the student will need and it will also help the student maintain a

positive attitude throughout the day.

This student lacks comprehension and verbal articulation so the use of visuals

will be beneficial to the student. This will help increase the student’s philosophical

development.

The student also demonstrates deficits in the area of social development. It is

recommended that the student receive direct instruction in the area of social/emotional

skills to help the student accelerate in the general education environment when working

cooperatively with peers.

For educators, it is recommended that further information is provided about

family history, culture, and economic status. Understanding these details about a

student will help educators understand the approach to take when handling situations

with a student.
 References

Child Development Basics | CDC. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html

Common Vitamins and Supplements to Treat age-related-cognitive-decline. (n.d.).

WebMD. Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/condition-

958/age-related-cognitive-decline

Emotional Development. (n.d.). Play and Playground Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 2,

2022, from https://www.pgpedia.com/e/emotional-development

 Morin, A. (2022, March 15). Development Milestones for your 8-Year-Old Child. Verywell

Family. Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/8-year-old-

developmental-milestones-620729

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2014). Psychology Applied to Teaching (14th Edition). Cengage
Learning US. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781305176881