Running head: Pepsi screening for cody bell 1

PEPSI Screening for Cody Bell

Adrienne L. Plummer

College of Southern Nevada

PEPSI Screening for Cody Bell

Cody Bell is a 12 year-old, male student. He is half Native American and

Scottish/German. His parents have been divorced/separated since he was 2 years old for about

ten years, and he had no siblings until recently, when his father had another son. He traditionally

spends one week with each parent; one week on, one week off. Both parents are high school

graduates with no further education. He has regular contact with the grandparents on his fathers
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side of the family, along with cousins and aunts. Codys mothers side of the family is less

available and he does not know them well. His mothers father passed away when he was ten

years old and he attended the funeral but, substantially, only went to support his mother; he was a

stranger to everyone there. Between the ages of four and ten, his father frequently left the

country for months at a time for work. These infrequent bouts with his father have contributed to

Cody having a very close relationship with his mother and feelings of neglect by his father,

whom he wishes spent more time with him. These feelings have only intensified now that his

father has another child.

Physically speaking, Cody is a giant. He appears to be closer to 15 or 16 years of age,

rather than a mere 12. He is easily 56 and weighs about 170 pounds, very little of which is fat.

He is broad of shoulder and is developing a large muscle frame. His voice has deepened with the

onset of puberty, beginning last year. Already, he has a mustache, leg and arm hair- including in

the arm pits. Cody has a lot of physical energy, which he exerts rollerblading, biking, climbing

trees, swimming, and knife throwing. His skin and hair are unusually oily, along with the

beginnings of acne and skin problems. Sweating has increased and he has a constant pungent

body odor. He has become very accident prone. Two months ago he broke his arm rollerblading

with his dog and he consistently goes home with new scratches and scrapes. Recently, he

punctured his hand and his parents do not know how, but it was severely enough to warrant

stitches. The doctor said he waited too long to come in and could not treat him because the skin

had already died. I would rate his physical development at a 15 on a 12 scale. Sources I used to

gather the relevant information for Cody were from Humsteam 8, Big Brothers Big Sisters of

America, Stanford Childrens Health, and Sutter Health: Palo Alto Medical Foundation.
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Emotionally, Cody seems to be right on que with the identity vs role confusion analysis

(Ellsworth). He is torn between being the good son and coming to terms with his own

individuality. He is somewhat withdrawn and even when he is in a comfortable atmosphere, says

very little. He seems to be self-conscious and self-centered, at the same time (Advocates for

Youth). His focus is absolutely on himself and he goes back and forth between high expectations

and a lack of confidence. His mother complains about his moodiness, although his father seems

unaware. He desires privacy and separation from his family but, at the same time, yearns for the

security of family (Stanford Childrens Health). When Cody is with his peers, or cousins, he

boasts of his prowess in certain areas trying to show off. He compares himself to others and

wants to blend in to detract from any attention he may get. He is alert to others feelings but

unaware of how their actions affect others. In observing him, I have noticed an inconsistency in

his level of maturity; he regresses when he is tired, but is also often more mature at home than he

is with outsiders; which seems to be the opposite of most children his age. He has difficulty

making decisions of any kind. His answers are always, I dont know. He tends to view the

world more objectively and look at adults more subjectively. In other words, he is more critical

and judgmental of individual peoples behaviors. I observe mixed feelings about breaking

away from his parents. One day he wants nothing to do with adults, and the next, he is very

much in need of his mother. I think that he is behaving fairly typical of a 12 year-old, but is more

on point with that of an 11 year-old.

His philosophical outlook on life seems to be more akin to a younger child and he tends

to use black/white reasoning at home. There is almost no middle ground in his thinking with his

mother and father. When asked why his parents behave in certain ways, his answers were very

simplistic: because she likes it, because he doesnt. The people he views to please in his life are
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more peers than parents at his developmental stage. But when asked about education, he says

that school is good for you and an important part of life. He also acknowledges that school is

more than book learning (Ellsworth). After questioning him about education, I have come to

realize that how he behaves at home is likely to be much different from how he presents himself

at school and around other authorities (teachers). There is a part of him which is actualizing and

individualistic but the traits I most often see are the impulsive and self-protective attitudes. I

would rate his development in this area at a 10 because he does not yet seem to understand the

value of the community or to understand that there are things bigger than ourselves which can be

considered (Puka).

Socially, Cody is fairly average but, in some ways, underdeveloped. He spends most of

his time indoors on the phone, playing on the computer and with his video games, and watching

television (Humstead). I do not see him with any friends except for a day or two every month,

and these meetings are always spontaneous, not planned. When he is with a peer he uses extreme

language, such as swearing, in order to seem tough or smart (Big Brothers Big Sisters of

America). He behaves more self-assuredly than he really feels. Recently, he answers his parents

with a single word, or loud, extreme language. His bedroom is sparsely furnished and he has not

quite begun decorating it to show his own personality and independence. Lately, as well, he has

begun to have a tendency to try and manipulate others to get what he wants. I have observed him

hiding his relationships/crushes with the opposite sex and his parents have informed me that last

year he did have an encounter where he kissed a girl. There is a bit of egocentrism in his attitude.

He has not yet resembled the belief that others notice and care intensely about his appearance or

actions. He does believe that his experiences and emotions are unique to him alone (Anthony). I

am placing him at an 11 level of maturity in this area.

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Intellectually, Cody seems to have no trouble fulfilling classroom assignments and

projects, although he would prefer not to do them, and he is an A/B student. His mind works

using formal operations evident because of the creativity and depth with which he needs to

excel at his particular type of video games. The game structure is concrete and he must build

onto it (creative reasoning) designing that which he wishes to construct, which shows a depth in

thought processing. I rate his intellectual development at a 12, right on target for his age, because

of his ability to easily keep pace with his workload and succeed.

I would recommend that emotionally, Cody needs more structure and constancy in his

home life. I believe that he is going through the motions, so to speak, in his life, but could use

guidance and a firm hand. Having a role model and someone to look up to would definitely help

him feel less alone and isolated. As of now, he is directionless and frivolously spends all his

spare time when he is not in school. He has no motivation to seek out anything new, although he

is curious of the unknown.

Socially, Cody could benefit by joining a club, sports group, or extracurricular school

activity that would allow him to interact with his peers in a positive environment. I believe that

spending all day and night playing video games and watching television is inhibiting his ability

to function in social groups. He struggles to speak up for himself when he is in any group

environment. He needs to conquer his fear of people and learn how to be comfortable being

himself around others.

Philosophically, it would help Cody to do some volunteer work with other children or the

homeless. Travelling and sightseeing would help broaden his horizons too. I think being a home-

body all the time, and at his age, is inhibiting his ability to form meaningful connections about
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the complex social world that we all live in. If he could see how others have to live and also what

others have built and created in this world, I think it would open his eyes.

Intellectually, I suggest Cody be put in classes for gifted students. If he easily is keeping

pace in his school work, then I believe challenging him to excellence would benefit him greatly.

He tends to be leaning towards judgmental attitudes and I hear him condemning others quite

frequently. Being with students that are more on his level in education may help him to be

understanding of others strengths and weaknesses, as well as, helping to see his own areas for

improvement.
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Graph

Cody Bell vs Average 12 Year Old

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Physical Emotional Philosophical Social Intellectual
Cody Bell Average 12 year old
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References

Advocates for Youth. (2008). Growth and Development, Ages Nine to 12- What Parents Need

to Know. Retrieved from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/parents155?task=view

Anthony, M. (2016). Social Development in 11-13 Year Olds. Retrieved from http://www.

scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/stages-milestones/social-development-11-13-

year-olds

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. (1991). Volunteer Education and Development Manual.

Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved from http://www.son.wisc.edu/net/wistrec/net/developstage

text.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, March 15). Young Teens (12-14 Years of

Age): Developmental Milestones. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child

development/positiveparenting/adolescence.html

Ellsworth, J. (1999). Methods and Materials in Special Education. Retrieved from http://www.

jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/pepsiobserv/po_philos.html

Humsteam 8. (2008, September 18). Common Characteristics of 12-14 Year Olds. Retrieved

from http://humsteam8.pbworks.com/w/page/19748541/common%20characteristics%20

of%2012-14%20year%20olds

Puka, W. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/moral

dev/

Stanford Childrens Health. (2016). The Growing Child: Adolescent (13 to 18 Years). Retrieved

from http://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=the-growing-child-adolescent

-13-to-18-years-90-p02175
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Sutter Health: Palo Alto Medical Foundation. (2015). Parents & Teachers: Teen Growth &

Development, Years 11 to 14. Retrieved from http://www.pamf.org/parenting-teens/

health/growth-development/pre-growth.html