Running Screen: PEPSI SCREENING 1

PEPSI Screening

Roxana Arriaza

College of Southern Nevada

Biography

I had the honor in evaluating a remarkable and quirky 8-year-old for my screening paper.

He is currently on his way to finishing up second grade this upcoming summer and is looking

forward to seeing his friends, once he starts third grade. A lover of all extreme sports and

Pokémon, well as much as 8-year-old young boy can be. In the spectrum of it all, he is being

labeled as an unhealthy child that is above the average weight. He is a proud American from his

father’s side and Hispanic from his mother’s side (Mexican and Puerto Rican). Taking fashion

risks isn’t something he is afraid of; he loves to dye his hair all kinds of crazy bright colors.

Adding to his quirky nature, he believes that the birthmark that he has had since he was baby and

is currently located on his foot, is a tattoo.

Physical Development

Although this adventurous young boy is known by his peers to be doing constant outdoor

activities and always on the go from partaking in all his favorite physical activities that have

become a big part of his life that which range from BMX riding/racing to running around

catching all the Pokémon he can to become the ultimate collector. He is such an avid BMX rider

and likes to participate in races continuously, so much so that in his latest race he placed third at

a state level. On his off days from riding and leaving his competitors in the dust, he also loves to

hit home run after home run while playing baseball with his fellow teammates. When the green
3
PEPSI SCREENING
thumb strikes, this little boy is in the mood to mix it up once in a while by trying something a bit

more on the soothing and calmer side. Yet, he requires physical work and takes great pleasure in

gardening in his backyard. When it comes down to it all the physical activities that he does, he

goes above and beyond his means, especially for someone of his young age. There could be

factors that attribute to that such as that his digestive system works slower than other kids or his

unhealthy diet could be working against all the exercise he does on a daily. He measures 4 feet

and 2 inches tall and weighs in at 72 pounds, after inputting all the information into the database

the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) places him into the “obese” category.

According to the CDC (BMI Calculator Child and Teen | Healthy Weight | CDC, 2021) that

means that all things considered his weight places 65% higher than those of his same age and

sex. Due to having poor eye vision/sight, his pediatrician recommended for his parents to take

him to see an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) who ended up prescribing him the ideal pair of

glasses for everyday wear.

Emotional Development

While evaluating and getting to know the daring young child on a more personal level

from himself, his family, and peers, I found that emotionally he has the qualities of someone of

his young age. He is known to constantly need approval from those around him, like his peers

and family members. On top of that according to Professor Ellsworth (1999), he is often found to

exhibit self-recrimination behavior such as finding him belittling and putting himself down. This

results in him feeling and thinking negatively about himself. For example, when he accidently
4
PEPSI SCREENING
drops something and reacts to it by calling himself stupid while rocking himself back and forth

on the floor. Professor Ellsworth of Phycology (1999) states that in these particular situations

“there is a tendency to overdramatize failure” from the child’s part. While others around him see

it as honest mistake the child tends to have a different perspective on the subject or event. The

young child is allowed to have limited phone screen time at home. Once that time is up, he does

express his unhappiness by having a meltdown. This is typically resolved by having him self-

sooth himself until he can speak. When he is not riding, gardening, or playing Pokémon Go, he

can be found to be entertained by playing his favorite video games on his Xbox or PlayStation

Switch console. Although there are times when he gets so into a game. He will start to yell at the

television screen, and from time to time, he can kick it up a notch and start cussing when he is

not winning.

Philosophical Development

At first glance, the petite young boy with wonder in his eyes seems like he would be the

picture-perfect model of a well-behaved child, but his family agrees that you couldn’t be

anymore wrong. Although he does comprehend what is both right and wrong, as well as good

and bad, he chooses to rebel against it all and act up deliberately, instead of choosing to behave

poorly. Furthermore, in nature of his rebellious behavior, he adds a flare of the dramatics by

laughing in your face when he does something he knows he is not supposed do, or that he knows

he will be punished for doing in the first place. On top of exhibiting these bad behaviors

constantly, his older sister expresses that he does these behaviors for the sole purpose of getting
5
PEPSI SCREENING
attention. According to Becerra (2013), she agrees that while a child misbehaving purposefully

can be linked to wanting attention, it can be because they are lacking it from the source. They are

seeking it the mostly from their parents. Becerra (2013) adds that a child that ultimately wants to

garner their parents’ attention choose to misbehave repeatedly to finally accomplish their goal.

Known to ultimately be pure chaos, being hypocritical can be added to that especially when it

comes down to others doing bad things and him tattling on them, but hates when it’s done to

him.

Social Development

A boy of his people, this young boy is such an extrovert, social butterfly when it comes

down to anything that has to do with socializing and engaging with others. The family members

that he is the closest to describe him as so, such as his aunt and his grandmother, since he only

has few friends who he is not that close to. In spite of the fact that that he doesn’t have many

friends, he is known to be quite friendly to those he meets at the skatepark that he frequently

enjoys visiting. He will not be shy to talk to a friendly new face at the park which is an innocent

and sincere act according to Ravishly (2019). But simply, he would just strike up a conversation

with them or asking them for some assistance with new tricks that he wants to try out on his

racing bike. As mentioned above, the two people that he is the closest to are his favorite aunt and

his grandmother. Since his relationship with his biological mother is complicated, these are the

individuals he finds comfort in after a long day of socializing. I guess you could say that for him

socially interacting with others can be quite taxing activity when done in big doses. Once he gets
6
PEPSI SCREENING
home from doing so, he resorts to taking a lengthy break from it all. After he is well rested and is

ready to go back to engaging with others, the individual that you will find him with will be his

grandmother. Together they enjoy partaking in various activities such as playing Pokémon, going

outside to play with his and then finally coming inside to release their inner artist by drawing to

their hearts content.

Intellectual Development

This brilliant minded young boy does not attend regular school like other kids of his own

age, which has not stopped him from striving successfully in the educational department. Despite

his many challenges, he did start attending a private elementary school just like any other 6-year-

old would have. Although that did not end working out for him as the days at school went on and

on because of the harsh bullying that he was on the receiving end off from two of his classmates.

According to Loubser (2020) on average, nearly one in five students report being bullied during

the school year. After seeing him come home with tears in his eyes every day, his mother and

grandmother went to the school to report his bullying in hopes that the issue could be resolved

once and for all. Nothing ended up being resolved even after they went to school on more than

two occasions. The bullying took such a toll on him, and he had enough of these two kids

bullying that he decided to take matters into his own hands and fought back physically. On one

occasion, his own teacher ended up telling him to not say anything at all about his what was

happening to him. That was absolutely the last straw, so both his mother and grandmother made
7
PEPSI SCREENING
the difficult but necessary decision of pulling him out school before the situation would get

worse and end badly for him.

The young boy adapted to homeschooling pretty quickly, but since he was just recently

diagnosed with high functioning autism, it is mandatory for him to attend his daily 4-to-5-hour

therapy sessions. His understanding level when it comes to different school subjects varies on

strength, while he may excel in some, in others he fails behind a bit. On the other hand, when he

was attending regular school, he was he was comprehending subjects and retaining information

at a much better level and speed. Now, the subjects that he tends to have a hard time

understanding overall are Math and Writing. For him to get a better grip at comprehending these

subjects, the learning method that is usually used and that gives him the best result is for him to

do repetitive work.
8
PEPSI SCREENING

Graph

0
below average average above average

physical emotional philosophical social intellectual

Recommendations for Teachers and Parents

B. (2012, September 18). Why is my active child overweight? Blackmores Australia. Retrieved

April 3, 2022, from [Link]

overweight

Jacobson, T. (2019, June 9). A child’s bad behavior isn’t “attention-seeking.” She’s seeking a

relationship. NBC News. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from

[Link]

she-s-ncna1015266

Sheldon-Dean, H. (2021, September 7). Complete guide to managing behavior problems. Child

Mind Institute. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from [Link]

to-problem-behavior/

Stop bullying home page. (2022, March 29). [Link]. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from

[Link]
10
PEPSI SCREENING
References

BMI Calculator Child and Teen | Healthy Weight | CDC. (2021, September 28). Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved April 1, 2022, from

[Link]

&method=english&gender=m&age_y=8&age_m=0&hinches=50&twp=72

Ellsworth, J’Anne (1999). 8th Year. NAU DANA. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from

[Link]

Judith J. Becerra, M. L. (2010). Redirecting Children’s Negative Behaviors. CRS - Behavioral

Health Advisor, 1.

Loubser, H. (2020, October 15). How homeschooling can help your bullied child heal -

homeschoolers life. Homeschooler’s Life. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from

[Link]

My child talks to strangers. (2019). Ravishly. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from

[Link]
11
PEPSI SCREENING