P.E.P.S.

I Screening 1

P.E.P.S.I. Screening

Berenice Perez - Morales

College of Southern Nevada

Professor Ce. Isbell

Abstract

This P.E.P.S.I screening is based on a student named Alexander Morales who I have

observed for a couple of months now. I will be focusing on the five important development

stages which are physical, emotional, philosophical, social, and intellectual development. This

student is a male fifteen years old and from observing him I realized he is going through puberty.

His physical appearance has started to change and mixed emotions were seen. His social

development was difficult to capture under these unfortunate circumstances but an extensive

observation helped me understand him. For teenage boys, their intellectual development is very

interesting, many questions cross their minds which will be covered in the screening. I have also

included a chart to observe this student's development. I asked him and his parents’ many

questions to understand him a little more. I observed his interaction and his attitude with his

family and in specific with his siblings.

Biography

Alexander Morales is a fifteen-year-old male in high school. He was born on July 22,

2005, and raised in Las Vegas since birth. He is currently in tenth grade in high school. He

started walking at one year and two months old. At a very young age, he began saying full

sentences because of his two old siblings and watching lots of television. When he was two years

old, he had his first trip to the hospital for stitches because of rough play with his brother. When

he was three years old his parents realized he was not digesting milk properly so he was taken to

the hospital for a full allergy test. Alexander is allergic to milk, roaches, and shrimp. Alexander

had an allergic reaction to shrimp when he was eight years old which led to lots of swelling in

his face. This was the first time his mother used an EpiPen. Since then he has not had any
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 3

allergic reaction because he is very careful with what he eats. When he was eight years old, he

had his first best friend who would go to the house every day and started to go out more with

friends from school. His parents gave him his first cell phone at the age of eleven once he

reached middle school. Between the ages of twelve and fourteen, he opened various social media

accounts. Now that he is fifteen, a teenager during a pandemic, he is very quiet and uses his

phone more often, spends his time in his room playing video games, and rarely goes outside. He

gets along with his siblings very well and when observing I could tell he is very silly and likes to

make people laugh.

Physical

Alexander is 5’6 in height and weighs 140 at age 15 which means he is average weight

and height. He is taller than both his parents and older sister. In high school, he had a growth

spurt because when he was in middle school he was 5’3 and weighed around 120. He has now

grown some facial hair and his voice has become even deeper during his puberty, which is

normal for a teenage boy according to milestone development. He is aware of his hygiene since

as a teenager going through puberty lots of changes in his body image. He showers twice a day

because he feels it is important to look good and smell good for your image. He is self-conscious

about acne, the perfect haircut, and smelling good.

It is noticeable he cares about his physical appearance because he lifts weights and likes

to run. He is not currently playing a sport but does enjoy playing soccer for fun. He gained

interest in soccer when he was in elementary school because at the age of eight his mother signed

him up for the school's soccer team. According to the physical activity basics, children between

the ages of six to seventeen should receive one hour of physical activity. One hour of physical
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 4

activity three times a week consisting of running, climbing, or push-ups help strengthen muscles

and bones. I would say from observing Alexander he has strong bones and muscles because he

exercises daily for about an hour or so.

Alexander has been using glasses since the fourth grade, he was having trouble reading

things off of the board. The school had performed a physical on all the students which helped his

parents reach an eye doctor. Without his glasses he can only see if things are close to him or

writing on paper is close to his face. He also has good hearing which I tested by downloading an

app that played many high and low pitch sounds. This was a fun activity and was surprised to

know he was able to hear on a very high level.

Emotional

For a teenager, there is much emotional development between puberty and hormones.

Between the ages of 15 and 17 boys tend to be less conflicting with their parents compared to

girls. Alexander is very close to his siblings, he shares secrets and his feelings with them but

rarely talks to his parents about those types of things. He believes his parents don’t understand

him as much as his siblings and friends do. He displayed anger and frustration when playing

video games. Alexander understands that video games change his mood very quickly but that

doesn't change his overall mood for the day. Alexander does not cry very often, he says he has

no reason to as whatever makes him feel upset will not affect him unless it is very personal.

Alexander has never been in a relationship so he has lots to experience emotionally.

One instance where he cried was when he heard about the death of his grandfather. He

was very close to him and loved him very much, he passed away about five months ago. This is

a very sensitive topic for him so he doesn’t talk about it to anyone. Accounting to psychology
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 5

today, ​Students the age of fifteen are more reserved and try to avoid talking about their emotions

but children need to talk about these feelings because they can lead to depression, loneliness,

stress, and confusion. Teenagers display many emotions throughout the day, and it is important

to look out for changes in grades, daily activities because of an overwhelming feeling. During

the pandemic, Alexander has shown anger, stress, and anxiety from being locked inside for too

long. It is important to stay at home but also clear your mind to do at home activities with your

family to get your mind working. According to an article about teenagers who show a lack of

emotion or show the wrong expression can mean depression, mental illness, head injury, or even

abuse. Alexander understands the emotions he is feeling and displays the correct facial

expression for any situation. Alexander expressed most of his emotions with friends and close

family members. Alexander has shown stress because of school work, he is not very fond of

school so any sign of frustration because he can not complete an assignment we will give up. He

stresses about work to the point of giving up.

Philosophical

Teenagers are impulsive and are constantly making mistakes. Their understanding of

right and wrong can come into question. Alexander understands the right time and place, to tell

the truth, ask for help, or when to back away from a complicated situation but sometimes he still

chooses otherwise. An example of when Alexander was in the wrong was lying about doing his

homework. He knew he didn’t do it, lied to his parents about completing it and his grade lowered

because he never turned it in. It was wrong to lie, but he still chose to because for him to

continue playing video games without interruption he needed to lie about his homework being

done. It was an impulsive answer beneficial to him even if he knew there were consequences to
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 6

this. According to business insiders, the science behind teenagers, the part of their brain that

controls rational decisions is not fully developed until they reach their twenties which could

explain their actions.

Figure 1

13 to 17-year-olds with social media accounts

Social

Alexander is very quiet until you get to know him better. He likes to keep to himself but

will be very silly and make jokes with his close friends. He gets along with his brother and sister

as they are very close. Alexander spends most of his time at home now that he is a teenager

using social media. He rarely goes out with friends only to gatherings and instead spends his

time on dial media and likes to share clips of jokes on his account. Alexander spends about a

third of his day using his phone on social media, texting, or on a phone call. He has a handful of

friends who he talks to daily. He has a best friend with who he talks on the phone every week for

several hours. Alexander believes his image towards his friends is the most important.
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 7

Alexander had been yelled at by his parents multiple times because he was on his phone when

was told to do his chores. He did not put the phone down and instead ignored his parents and

locked himself in his room. He was embarrassed that his friends heard that he was getting yelled

at. Teens want to become more independent so now they are exposed to peer pressure, substance

abuse, and negative pressure. Alexander is experiencing peer pressure and negative pressure

because he has to maintain a good social image for his friends. According to the article the

whole child, teens will be closer to friends than family. What his friends think of him means a lot

so they will spend less time with family and more time on the internet communicating with

friends or going out with friends.

Alexander is currently taking online school which means he doesn’t interact with the

other students very often unless doing group projects through the camera. He is not very fond of

online school because he isn’t comfortable in front of the camera as well as does not create a

personal friendship with his classmates. Alexander has not made any friends throughout the four

months of online school, he spends the school hours with his camera off and the microphone

turned off because he is uncomfortable and doesn't know anyone. During a pandemic there isn't

much social life for students these days, so quarantine can affect students' social life. The chart

displays the amount of social media teenagers use. On the y axis are the social media, and on the

x-axis the percentages of that social media usage. Alexander uses Instagram the most and as we

can see on the chart Instagram is the highly used social media placed at twenty-five percent.

Intellectual

Alexander is a good student in school with an average IQ. he is not a gifted student nor

does he have an intellectual disability. He is taking all general classes but struggles in math
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often. For math, he is taking a fundamentals class which helps him with his math assignments.

For reading his scores are just about on the meets standards bar which means he is not a fast

reader but can articulate words correctly and understands the meaning behind the text that he has

read. Alexander likes to write, he doesn't like answering questions about readings or reading in

general but when it comes to writing he always completes the assignments and has received 90 to

100 percent on his papers. In English class, his grade has been a strong A through the school year

including the previous years. Overall Alexander is a C student in school which meets the

standard.

Many believe a letter grade does not define your knowledge. Most students don't give so

much effort to school because they think it is boring or a waste of time. I asked Alexander what

he thought about school, he said the school doesn't define his intelligence because he is being

taught things he doesn't care about. He knows school is important but doesn't feel that having a

high grade or low grade will make a difference in the future. Monica Cardon from Everyday

Power discusses grades and intelligence. She states why your child's grades don't define their

intelligence. There are different types of intelligence so everyone is intelligent in their way

because of their skillset. “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole

life believing that it is stupid.” This quote is in the article from Monica Cardons view point of

grades not defining your intelligence. I think it is exactly what a parent should hear. As the

parents they should be aware that not every student is the same, as well as the intelligence level.

Alexander has been playing the trumpet since he was in the seventh grade. He began

playing in the school band class and performed for the school. He is no longer in band class but

still practices the trumpet occasionally. Psychology science is a journal which states that music
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 9

lessons can enhance your IQ. Playing an instrument improves one's performance skills as well as

bodily-kinesthetic skills. Playing an instrument is not his passion but it is a hobby of his. On the

weekends and breaks from school, Alexander helps his dad with his technician job. He has

learned a lot by being hands-on rather than observing which also helps prove he is a kinesthetic

learner. By the age of 15 students should be thinking about future careers or made plans for after

high school. Alexander didn't want to continue school after high school, he wanted to take a

break for a year to think more about a career choice. He recently began to gain interest in video

game design but he has not made concrete plans for the future.

Recommendations

The student has just begun his teenage years, he is learning about life and learning more

about himself as well. I believe he should not be pressured into making life decisions about his

future just yet. In the student's social life, he is very quiet and likes to keep to himself so he has a

small group of friends. Parents should not be concerned about the number of friends the child has

because more friends are the closest and in small circles. Students are placed under a lot of

pressure from parents, friends, school, and currently a pandemic. First, it is important to focus on

his emotional state. Parent and child should be in a strong relationship to be able to talk about his

feelings or concerns. Alexander dealt with the loss of his grandfather but doesn't like to speak

about it. He has not grieved and let his emotions out. Alexander should also focus more on

himself and what he thinks about himself because he must build confidence to raise his

self-esteem. Peer pressure can be hard so finding acceptance should begin with oneself before

considering the opinion of others. Alexander is fifteen so he is almost at the age where he can
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 10

get a part-time job to become more mature and become more independent as well. Another way

to distract himself from social media could be spending more time outside taking a jog while

listening to music. I recommend Alexander to put the phone away and enjoy nature. If one is

focused on social media and what others think you won’t get anymore because you will

constantly be worried if you're doing enough to please others. Alexander could start playing his

trumpet a couple of times a week for his mind to focus and gain auditory skills. If Alexander

worries less about what is going on with his friends it could help him focus more on school and

gain interest in what he is learning. I recommend for Alexander to ask for help, he is a shy boy

who doesn't like to talk if he is not approached but when he needs help in school work asking for

help can prevent stress and frustration. Observing a child is key to understanding them.
P.E.P.S.I. Screening 11

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P.E.P.S.I. Screening 12

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