PEPSI Screening 1

PEPSI Screening

Brianna J. Rodriguez

College of Southern Nevada

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Biography

The individual that I have observed for the PEPSI screening is a 16 year old girl from Las

Vegas Nevada. She is originally from Southern California, she moved to Las Vegas when she

was five years old. She has been living in Vegas for eleven years now and she does not have

many family members out here. She only has her grandparents on her dad’s side and one uncle

and a few older cousins that are also from her dad’s side. She is also an only child. She moved to

Las Vegas with her mom and her dad.

Moving to Las Vegas was a challenge for her at first for many reasons. In California, she

had attended pre-K and it was mostly a class full of Hispanics just like her. When she moved to

Las Vegas, she had to attend kindergarten in a school that was mostly populated with Cacasians.

She also did not know any English when she went into kindergarten. She only knew a few words

to get her by the first few days of school. There was a language barrier but luckily she was able

to learn English later on in life. In California, she had a lot more family members and many

cousins that she was very close with because many of them were around her age group. In other

words, she was very close to many of her family members out there. In Las Vegas, her cousins

are a lot older than her and she does not have a good relationship with her grandparents, so

moving to Las Vegas has made it difficult to build those connections with her family members

due to the factors that they have. All these changes were new to her, that is why moving to Las

Vegas was quite a challenge.

In her free time, she likes to paint and hang out with her friends. She usually hangs out

with her parents on the weekends as well. Her parents like to get breakfast together and run

errands with her. She also enjoys listening to music and watching Netflix.
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Physical Development

The girl I observed is about five foot and three inches tall. She stopped growing after

eighth grade. According to a website called healthline.com, girls stop growing and reach their

final adult height by the age of fourteen and fifteen years old. Girls usually stop growing two

years after getting their first menstrual cycle as well. (Marcin, 2019). The girl got her first

menstrual cycle at age eleven. In eighth grade she was thirteen or fourteen, so she is on the right

path for her growth rate. At age sixteen, the average height for a girl is sixtyfour inches which is

equivalent to five foot four in height. This girl is about average height for her age, so she is

developing very well when it comes to her physical appearance. What I noticed about her is that

she eats a lot and I am assuming it’s because her body is still developing and hormones may have

a role in her appetite. Many teenagers tend to have a fast metabolism since they are still growing

and their body is going through some changes. Since teenagers go through a major growth spurt,

eating a lot of food helps them get extra energy and nutrients to support their growth and

development. (Raising Children's Network, 2022).

The girl does not seem to have any health issues. She exercises at school and she eats

healthy stuff at home. She also likes to drink water everyday. She snacks on chips here and there

but she does not overdo it. According to verywellhealth.com, teenagers need at least thirty

minutes of exercise three times a week. This child goes to p.e about twice a week and she runs

the mile once a week. The only thing that she has an issue with at the moment is her menstrual

cycle. She has irregular periods and she only gets her period about 4-5 times a year. According to

kidshealth.org, it is completely normal for girls in their teenage years to miss a few periods since

their body is still developing and going through some changes. There are few factors that could
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cause irregular periods such as stress, weight gain, or illness. As for her part, I believe she has

irregular periods because her body is still developing, so I would not worry about her irregular

periods for now.

Emotional Development

The sixteen year old girl is a bit shy and keeps to herself at most times especially when

she is at school. She only has one friend at school who is a girl and a couple of guy friends. She

told me that she does not trust many females at her school to become friends with because most

of them do not have nice qualities when it comes to friendships. Many of them gossip and talk

behind people’s backs and many of them give off mean vibes. That is why she only sticks to her

one female friend. According to Jack Snowman and Rick McCown, girls tend to experience

anxiety about friendships more than boys do. (Snowman & McCown, 2015) This makes a lot

more sense to why this girl thinks the way she does when it comes to building friendships with

others at school.

When it comes to her shyness, she tends to get social anxiety if she has to speak in front

of others or meet new people. Many people believe that being an only child can affect children

with their social skills because they do not have any siblings to interact with at home but in fact,

this is not true. Some psychologists believe that there are several different factors to shape a

child’s behavior, but being an only child isn’t necessarily one of them. Some children are

naturally timid and shy. Many of them do not like to interact with others and are considered to be

introverts regardless of how many siblings or family members they may have. (Only Child

Syndrome Proven Reality or Long- Standing Myth, 2019). I believe this girl is naturally shy
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around people she does not know. When she knows people, she is more talkative and she seems

to be more comfortable around them.

She also has a very high self esteem. She loves to take pictures of herself and she loves to

dress up and do her makeup. I believe the person who influences her to have a high self esteem is

her mother. Her mother always gets ready for work and buys nice outfits to wear and she

encourages her daughter to do the same thing. Parents and other adults may influence long-range

plans and peers are likely to influence immediate status. (Snowman & McCown, 2015) Since she

doesn’t have many friends, I still believe her parents have a great influence on how she thinks

about herself.

Philosophical Development

The girl I observed likes to think that she “knows” everything and most teenagers act like

this too, especially when having discussions with their parents or older adults. I think in reality

almost everyone thinks they know it all and what is best for them when they are young and come

to realize that when they are older, most adults they had an argument or discussion with are right.

This child often argues with both of her parents about simple stuff that is not worth arguing for.

For example, she always gets upset that her parents are too strict with her and won’t let her do

much but she doesn’t understand her parent’s point of view. A person’s prefrontal cortex is not

fully developed until they reach the age of 25. That is why some teenagers may not understand

parent’s point of view on many things. (Why Your Teen Thinks They Know Everything, 2021).

According to the University of Minnesota Extension, teenagers who are either fifteen or sixteen,

have the same thinking abilities as adults. That is why teenages may use their thinking skills to

challenge their parents. While a teenager is going through this development, it is important for
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parents to give the teenager some independence. This way, they will be able to make decisions

and develop a sense of autonomy. (Debbie Glasser, 2022).

Social Development

This child does not like to really participate in any social gatherings such as school clubs or

sports. She has never been interested in being part of a book club, chess club, etc. She is usually

tired after school is over and does not have the energy to join social gatherings. On top of that

she is also very shy, which is probably part of the reason why she does not join any clubs. She

mostly hangs out with her parents or her few friends that she has when she wants to interact with

others. She has a very strong connection to her parents and healthy relationship. Her and her

parents bond very well and they are supportive of their child. According to raisingchildren.net,

positive family relationships are built from communication, quality time, appreciation, and

teamwork. (Positive Relationships For Families, 2020).

According to verywellfamily.com, teenagers dating is very common and some teens start

dating earlier than others. As of now, the child does not seem to be interested in having a

relationship with anyone and does not seem like she is sexually active. Many teens usually have

a boyfriend by the time they start high school and start engaging in sexual activities but this girl

is different when it comes to that topic. There are some factors that contribute to this fact though.

Sexual activiy among high schoolers vary between gender and race. (Snowman & McCown,

2015).

Intellectual Development

The child does not seem to have any intellectual problems. She is actually very smart and

is passing all of her classes currently. Researchers have suggested that the accomplishments that
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teens have overcome with grades or sports, may affect the way they think for the rest of their

lives but in a positive way. (Healthwise Staff, 2021). With that being said, the child will more

than likely think positively about the future due to how great her intellectual levels are with

school.

By the age of sixteen, the majority of teenagers are able to think abstractly meaning that

they are able to use concepts and understand generalizations. They are also able to deal with

several concepts at a time. (Healthwise Staff, 2021). I believe this relates very well to the child

because she is able to understand certain situations and think for herself. She is able to know

what is right from wrong and understand the consequences if she chooses to do something bad.

According to the book, students who have intellectual disabilities have a tendency to

oversimplify concepts and have a limited ability to generalize concepts. (Snowman & McCown,

2015). The girl that I observed does not seem to show that she has intellectual disabilities.

Graph:
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Recommendations

For her physical development, I would recommend her to stay eating healthy and

continue to drink a lot of water. According to the website, aboutkidshealth.ca, teenagers need to

consume extra nutrients to support their bone growth, hormonal changes, and brain development.

If this child continues to eat healthy, it will more than likely help regulate her menstrual cycle in

the future since her body is not quite done developing. I would also add that she should go to the

doctor once a year to get checked out. It is important to get blood taken out and have a physical

once a year to prevent any illness or other health problems.

As far as emotional and social development, I would suggest having her join school clubs

even though she may not like it, just so she can try to get over being shy and make new friends. I

understand that she doesn’t trust that many girls in her school to be friends with but I believe she

can meet the right people in school activities such as clubs. It takes practice to overcome

shyness. If she meets new people and talks to them everyday, she will more than likely stop

being shy and stop feeling nervous around other people that she may not know. If meeting new

people does not help her shyness and it makes it worse, I would then suggest meeting with a

therapist to help her overcome it. According to kidshealth.org, people who have social phobia or

social anxiety often need the help of a therapist to overcome it.

For philosophical development, I would suggest for her parents to explain why they get

upset or don’t want her to do certain things so that way she does not get upset and understand

where they are coming from. When kids get mad and question their parents “why”, the parents

often respond: “Because I said so”. I believe that this makes kids frustrated and they rebell and
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act the way they do because of this. To keep their philosophical development going, kids need

explanations.

The last section which is intellectual development, I would suggest for her to keep doing

great in school. She needs to continue to study and pay attention in class so that she gets good

grades.
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References

Marcin, A. (2019, March 13). When do girls stop growing? Healthline. Retrieved June 28,

2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/when-do-girls-stop-growing

Healthy Eating Habits for teenagers. Raising Children Network. (2021, January 22).

Retrieved June 28, 2022, from

https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-eating-habits/healthy-eating-ha

bits-teens#:~:text=As%20children%20begin%20puberty%2C%20they,start%20changing%

20their%20eating%20habits.

Higuera, V. (2019, October 23). Only child syndrome: Characteristics and if it's real.

Healthline. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from

https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/only-child-syndrome

O'Grady, C., Engelbrecht, M., rubyheard86, Kindergarten, P. D. S. A., Teenagers And

Home Safety | Reliable Home Security | Home Monitoring - Kuna® Smart Security, Safety,

T. and H., & AprilFreeman1. (2021, February 23). Why your teen thinks they know

everything. Empowering Parents. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from

https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/why-your-teen-thinks-they-know-everything/

Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). Have an opinionated teen? this might protect against peer

pressure. Psychology Today. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from

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https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-news-you-can-use/201201/have-opini

onated-teen-might-protect-against-peer-pressure

Positive relationships for families: How to build them. Raising Children Network. (2020,

August 31). Retrieved June 28, 2022, from

https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/family-life/routines-rituals-relationships/good-fam

ily-relationships#:~:text=Children%20feel%20secure%20and%20loved,and%20appreciatio

n%20of%20each%20other.

Cognitive development, ages 15 to 18 years. MyHealth.Alberta.ca Government of Alberta

Personal Health Portal. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2022, from

https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=te7285

AboutKidsHealth. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2022, from

https://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=638&language=English

Sherman, C. (Ed.). (2020, October). Shyness (for teens) - nemours kidshealth.

KidsHealth. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/shyness.html

Amy Morin, L. C. S. W. (2021, July 5). Is your teen getting enough exercise? Verywell

Health. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from

https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-much-exercise-does-your-teen-really-need-2611242
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Amy Morin, L. C. S. W. (2021, November 16). 6 things every parent should know about

teen dating. Verywell Family. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from

https://www.verywellfamily.com/five-truths-teens-and-dating-2611146

Gengler, C. (n.d.). Changes in teens' thinking processes. UMN Extension. Retrieved June

29, 2022, from

https://extension.umn.edu/teen-development/changes-teens-thinking-processes
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