P.E.P.S.I.

Screening

P.E.P.S.I. Screening

Dolores Lopez

College of Southern Nevada

Biography

The student I conducted the P.E.P.S.I. Screening on was born on September 14, 2006.

She is a female who is 14 years old. She has one older brother who is 7 years older than her. She

is a very nice girl who is involved in quite a few activities outside of school. She is a 9th grader

and is currently doing distance learning which she does not enjoy as much as being physically at

school. She is also part of a soccer club and has two private soccer trainers. She has soccer

practice with her soccer team 3 times a week and 4 times a week she meets with her private

trainers. She seems to enjoy soccer very much. She has also recently started a new activity which

is dance lessons for a traditional Mexican dance called Folklorico.

Her mother informs me that ever since she was in the womb she could feel her constantly

moving and had a feeling she was going to be a very active baby. Her mother says that ever since

she was little she has always enjoyed playing outdoors and always being active. She was always

a very active and very curious child. She learned to ride a two wheel bicycle at the age of 3 and it

only took two and quickly learned this skill. She was always very active and curious and with

this came some visits to the doctor. Her mother says that at 2 years she jumped off the couch and

broke a little bone between her elbow and her arm and in the same week she put a peanut up her

nose. Her mother says that did not stop her curiosity with things or stopped her from being an

active child.

At a very early age she started showing compassion for animals. Her mother remembers

her always feeling sad when she saw the commercials from the SPCA which showed the animals

who were neglected. Since the age of 4 she has said that she wants to be a veterinarian because

she wants to help the animals when they are sick. She loves animals and currently has 8 pets. She

has two dogs, two sugar gliders, two birds, and two betta fish.
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Physical

The student is 86lbs., 52’ tall, and with an IBM of 0.2 which for the cdc.com growth

chart, she is considered under the average for her age. Developmentally at the age of 14 she is

where she needs to be. She seems to have hit milestones expected at this age. She is in the

puberty stage and begins to show subtle signs of her body changing which she seems to be

comfortable with. According the CDC Growth Chart she is just a little below average where

she should be in weight.

She is a typical teenager with school work, house chores, and after school activities. Her

mother has a chart with things she expects her to get done which include: feeding her pets,

emptying the dishwasher, cleaning her room, putting away her laundry, and completing her

school work. The student is able to perform her chores and school work with independence and

with the help of the chart she is disciplined and is able to perform and complete her tasks.

She is a very active teenager and very athletic her mother tells me that when she was in

junior high school she was involved in various sports which included basketball, soccer, cross

country, track, and volleyball. Two years in a row she took first place on her cross country meet.
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Now as a 9th grader and in a school which does not have sports her parents have her enrolled in a

club soccer, dance class, and she likes to run sometimes on her days off. Her mother tells me that

the student is able to run around Lone Mountain which is just a little over 2 miles and she is able

to run this distance in less than 20 minutes.

Physically this student is very healthy and has a lot of energy to maintain the many

activities she is a part of. Do to the circumstances of COVID-19 and the student is not able to be

at school during the day her mother says she notices that she misses the everyday social aspect of

school so the student looks forward to soccer and dance because she gets exercise and also gets

to see other peers her age. According to ER Services Developmental Psychology Chapter 7:

Adolescence: During adolescence, peer groups evolve from primarily single-sex to mixed-sex.

Adolescents within a peer group tend to be similar to one another in behavior and attitudes,

which has been explained as being a function of homophily (adolescents who are similar to one

another choose to spend time together in a “birds of a feather flock together” way) and influence

(adolescents who spend time together shape each other’s behavior and attitudes).

Emotional

According to https://www.facebook.com/verywell. “Know More. Grow

Together.” Verywell Family, 2018, www.verywellfamily.com/. Verywell family, 14-Year-old

Child Development Milestones by Amy Morin, LCSW: Most teens experience great fluctuations

in their self-esteem. They may feel good about themselves one day and feel extremely

inadequate another. The student’s mother says that she is currently has having a little bit of low

self-esteem with the stage that she is in because she is having some problems with acne.

According to Grow by WebMd Your Daughter at 14 Milestons “Your Daughter at 14:

Milestones.” WebMD, www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/daughter-14-milestones#1.

Accessed 30 Nov. 2020: Due to her age it is not always easy with just telling her to be patient

and that this will pass. Lots of other physical changes are happening, too. They've probably

already had a growth spurt, getting taller and developing wider hips and thighs, and they may

have some acne.

The students understands that this is part of the process of puberty but still feels upset and

wants a quick solution having clear skin like she use to when she was younger. In her case she is

also lucky to have an older brother who has already gone through this stage and talks to her

about how he went through it and helps her understand that it will eventually pass just like it did

with him. Her mother says that the student sees a dermatologist who is helping her with the acne

stage.

When it comes to the student’s emotional, stage she is able to control her emotions better

than when she was younger. Her mother says that she has mood swings and is sometimes happy

and other times easily annoyed. Which in her developmental stage is normal according to

https://www.facebook.com/verywell. “Know More. Grow Together.” Verywell Family, 2018,

www.verywellfamily.com/. Verywell family, 14-Year-old Child Development Milestones by

Amy Morin, LCSW: Although mood swings can still be common at age 14, they are usually less

intense than in the past. Many 14-year-olds become more easy-going as they mature. The

student’s mother and father jokingly say that they hope this stage passes soon.

One day that the student remembers with excitement was the day that she got two sugar

gliders for her 13th birthday. She loves having pets and although she understood that they were

her responsibility she was so happy that she got what she had asked for on her birthday. At her

age her parents believed that she could be responsible enough to take care for her pets. Her

responsibilities are to care for them which include feeding them, cleaning their cage, and most
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importantly giving them lots of love and attention. She has now had them for a little over a year

and she continues to show that she is a responsible pet owner of two sugar gliders. Mom does

admit to also helping when it comes to deep cleaning the cage but overall is happy that her

daughter is responsible and attentive to her pets.

Philosophical

The student is involved in the catholic faith she is currently in a youth group which for

the next two years she will be a part of to take one of her religious sacraments which is called

confirmation. Furthermore she has also been a student in a catholic school up until her 9th grade.

She is at an age where she can distinguish between right and wrong. She has been taught at home

and in school that it is important to love others and to respect all life. According to, “Cognitive

Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years | CS Mott Children’s Hospital | Michigan

Medicine.” Mottchildren.org, 2018, www.mottchildren.org/health-library/te7285.

C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Michigan Medicine Cognitive Development: Most teens know

the right thing to do. But their self-centered thoughts and behaviors may sway them to act with

little thought about the end result. Bit by bit, their moral sense continues to evolve. For this

reason her parents are very involved they understand that she is at a very crucial stage where she

may be faced with situation in which she will more independently have to make her own choices

and distinguish right from wrong.

Her parents hope that with the home teaching of morals along with her catholic school

education upbringing will help her recognize decision she will take in life.
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One instance in which she had to identify the right or wrong choice was when at school

she noticed that a boy in a younger grade was not being treated nicely from his peers. She

noticed that he was sitting alone at lunch and looked sad. She asked him what was wrong and he

told her that his friends did not want to talk to him or sit with him. She processed to ask him to

sit with her and her friends. Then she later told her teacher what happened with the boy so that

they can make the boy’s teacher aware that this boy’s friends were not being kind to him. Her

mother told me that this made her very happy and proud that she was helpful to someone who

was feeling sad and that she reached out in the way that she did to help him.

Social

The students has friends which are girls as well as boys. Her mother tells me that ever

since she was little she did not mind having friends of the opposite sex. It does not surprise mom

and dad that in her teen years she continues to have friends of both sexes. Mother did mention

that her best friends have always been a boy. According to her mother she feels the reason for

that may be that she has an older brother and also the fact that although she did as a little girl

enjoy playing with dolls she did always like to be active in sports and play outside.

According to “Growth and Development, Ages 11 to 14 Years.” HealthLink BC,

2012, www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/te7233. British Columbia Health Lind BC:

Emotional and social development: As they start to move from childhood into adulthood,

adolescents feel the urge to be more independent from their families. Often, friends replace

parents as a source of advice. When at home, adolescents may prefer spending time alone to
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being part of the family. Still, family support is important to help them build a strong sense of

self.

The student mentions that she does like to see her friends and meet with friends for

outings but since COVID-19 this has not been as often or as much as she would like. The student

looks forward to soccer practice and dance because on those days she gets to see those group of

friends. She likes to stay in touch with some of her school friends through text and sometimes

she likes to FaceTime. The student also informs me that she also likes to spend time with her

family and some of her favorite things to do with her family is to travel with her family which is

something she looks forward to continue to do once COVID-19 permits. She mentioned that

something she likes to do with her brother is go out for a run. She enjoys watching television

shows with her dad, one in particular is The Voice. With her mom she likes to go the nail salon

and getting pedicures.

Intellectual

According to Janelle Stewart, Michigan State University Extension – January 9, 2013

:12- to 14-year-olds: Ages and stages of youth development. A room full of young teens can be

energizing or terrifying to youth workers or volunteers: Young teens, ages 12 to 14, are at the

prime age to engage them in leadership roles and give them a voice in decision making. Looking

at Michigan State University Extension’s 4-H Guiding Principles shows the impact of having

youth actively engaged in their development. Under this principle, youth are considered

participants – rather than recipients – in the learning process; youth in this age bracket are at a

wonderful age to begin exploring these principles. Youth ages 12 to 14 want to feel ownership
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for projects; involving them in the planning results in buy-in and commitment from them. Janelle

Stewart also states the intellectual development of this age group includes the following:

Intellectual

 They find justice and equality to be important issues

 They are developing skills in the use of logic

 They can solve problems that have more than one variable

 They are ready for in-depth, long-term experiences

 They want to explore the world beyond their own community

For the most part the student has made A and B honor roll the three years she has been in

junior high. Academically she is able to keep up with her studies and is able to manage her

academics along with sport activities. She is currently in the ninth grade and although it is not a

normal year as it has all been online due to COVID-19 she seems to be able to manage her online

courses and continues to manage maintaining A and B grades. She is also currently part of a

leadership class in her business academy. This course will help teach the skills she will need as a

young adult to navigate responsibilities and leadership in a business. The student does tell me

that she feels she will get and understand more of being a leader and practicing these skills once

she is able to continue school in person learning at her school.

Recommendations

Overall this student seems to have a good foundation starting from home. I believe that

this is something that will help her as she is going through this age and stage that can sometimes

be difficult. The important thing here is that her parents continue to have patience when it comes
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to mood swings she may experience. It is important and will be a very positive outcome if they

continue to have an open relationship with her.

Friendships seem to be very important at this age and are a very big part of the influences and

choices they make. It is very important that at this stage her parents continue to be involved at a

distance. This means that her parents should always be aware of who their daughter surrounds

herself with and the peers she is considering friends.

At this age and stage the students seems to have good morals and seems to be a caring

person towards others as well as for other living things. She seems to enjoy being a part of the

youth group in her church and looks forward to her religious classes. The student is currently

looking to help in her church pantry as they are packing thanksgiving food bags. This outreach

program is a great opportunity for her to give back and help in her community in a way that she

can at her age.

The students currently has a full schedule she seems to be comfortable and seems to be

able to manage the activities she has along with her school work. I would recommend that her

parents continue to support her and also listen or identify cues if at all the students is

overwhelmed with her schedule.

Overall the student seems to be healthy in mind and body. She seems to be a polite,

smart, determined, and a responsible young teen.

References

https://www.verywellfamily.com/

https://www.facebook.com/verywell. “Know More. Grow Together.” Verywell Family, 2018,

www.verywellfamily.com/.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-ss-152-1/chapter/social-development/

“Social Development | Developmental Psychology.” Lumenlearning.com, 2011,

courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-ss-152-1/chapter/social-development/.

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/daughter-14-milestones#1

“Your Daughter at 14: Milestones.” WebMD, www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/daughter-14-

milestones#1. Accessed 30 Nov. 2020.

https://www.mottchildren.org/health-library/te7285

“Cognitive Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years | CS Mott Children’s Hospital | Michigan

Medicine.” Mottchildren.org, 2018, www.mottchildren.org/health-library/te7285.

https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/te7233

“Growth and Development, Ages 11 to 14 Years.” HealthLink BC, 2012,

www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/te7233.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/12_to_14_year_olds_ages_and_stages_of_youth_development

“12- to 14-Year-Olds: Ages and Stages of Youth Development.” MSU Extension, 2013,

www.canr.msu.edu/news/12_to_14_year_olds_ages_and_stages_of_youth_development.