How Testing Season Impacts Behavior and Emotional Regulation
By: Becca Phillips, Advocate
Testing season can change a lot for your child, especially for children with disabilities, whether that be learning disabilities, anxiety, ADHD, ODD, ASD, or sensory processing difficulties.
Before becoming an advocate, when I was still teaching special education, the Spring time would roll around and I have seen students who had been making steady progress with me nd in their general education classrooms suddenly struggle. Behaviors for some may have increased, while emotional regulation sometimes decreased. Behaviors we hadn’t seen in months resurfaced. And too often, those changes were misunderstood or treated as “discipline problems” instead of what they really were: stress responses. Behavior is a form of communication so listen to the child if you or your school team begin to see a spike around this time of year and into the next few months.
If you’re noticing changes in your child during testing season, you’re not imagining it and your child is not “regressing.” Let’s talk about why testing impacts behavior and what you can do now to prepare and protect your child. But first it’s important to recognize that testing season is hard on students because standardized testing creates this “perfect storm” of pressure, especially for our students on IEPs and even 504s who are already working twice as hard to keep up as their gen ed peers. Here are a few additional reasons why this season of school is challenging:
Loss of Routine and Predictability
Testing schedules disrupt the school day and your child’s typical schedule and routine. Support services may be paused or their service times may be moved to accommodate testing, classrooms will be rearranged, familiar teachers may be replaced with proctors, and normal routines abandoned temporarily. For many children, especially those who rely on structure, this alone can dysregulate emotions and behavior.
Increased Cognitive Load
Testing demands sustained attention, endurance, and executive functioning from test takers. For students with learning disabilities, ADHD, or processing challenges, this can lead to mental fatigue long before the test ends, which can often show up as irritability, shutdowns, or impulsive behavior.
Heightened Anxiety and Pressure
Even when schools try to minimize stress, kids are intuitive and observant, often picking up on that stress. They hear words like important, scores, performance, and growth which can create an added layer of pressure and stress. Many internalize the belief that they are being judged, that something “bad” may happen if they don’t receive a certain score, and for children with a history of academic struggle, that fear runs deep.
Reduced Access to Supports
It’s not uncommon for specialized instruction and therapy minutes to be inconsistently applied during testing weeks. When children lose the support that help them regulate and succeed, behavior often becomes their communication. Their service schedules may be shifted to be provided at another time of day, on another day entirely, or pushed back to the following week and then they are seen for an extended period of time.
Behavior Changes You May See
Leading up to, during, and even sometimes after, parents may see the following behavior changes:
Increased emotional outbursts or meltdowns including an increase in duration, not just frequency
Withdrawal for shutdown before or after school
Regression in coping skills or the need for more consistent reminders from you in what coping skills they have and how/when to use them
Increased defiance or refusal
Physical complaints that manifests in headaches, stomachaches, and exhaustion
Sleep disruptions (trouble falling asleep or staying asleep)
None of these behaviors are signs of bad behavior, but instead are manifestations of increased stress and overload.
How Parents Can Prepare & Advocate Before Testing Begins
1. Talk About Testing in a Neutral, Honest Way
Avoid language that adds pressure, thus instead of saying phrases such as “This test is really important” or “I need you to do really well on these tests” try:
“This is just one way your school collects information.”
“Your job is to try your best, not to be perfect.”
“A test doesn’t measure who you are or how smart you are.”
Normalize feelings with your child, help them learn how to pair a word with their feelings, and remind your child that adults, not kids, are responsible for the outcomes.
2. Review Your Child’s Accommodations Now
Don’t wait until testing week to confirm support they will receive. Ask:
Will all IEP/504 accommodations be provided consistently?
Who is responsible for implementing them?
What happens if my child becomes emotionally dysregulated during testing?
If your child requires breaks, reduced testing time, a familiar adult, or a separate small group or 1 on 1 setting, those supports are not optional, they are essential. Make sure your child is aware of what accommodations they receive as well so they can learn to be their own advocate in the moment as well.
3. Plan for Regulation Before and After School
Testing often drains a child’s emotional reserve. Things you can do to build in extra support during this season include:
Simplifying mornings
Prioritizing sleep and nutrition
Reducing after-school demands
Allowing decompression time (movement, quiet play, sensory tools)
Give your child choice in certain matters
Keep home routines consistent
Go for walks, plan family time with fun activities or games
This is often not the season to push extracurriculars or academic catch-up.
4. Document Behavior Changes
If behaviors increase during testing, both at home and at school when you get reports, keep notes of the date and behavior. Patterns matter and are beneficial to know how to support the child both in the immediate and for future planning. Documentation can help demonstrate:
The need for additional accommodations or support in school (scheduled breaks, check in/check outs with a trusted adult, chunking assessments)
The emotional impact of testing
Why discipline may be inappropriate or discriminatory during this period
As I mentioned earlier, behavior is communication and behavior is data. It often tells a story adults need to hear so that we can best support that individual child during testing season moving forward.
5. Remind the School That Emotional Safety Matters
Academic assessment should never come at the expense of a child’s mental health. If your child is experiencing distress, you have every right to request:
Check-ins before and after testing with a trusted staff member
Adjusted testing schedules
Temporary changes to workload or expectations
Testing should never override a child’s right to emotional regulation and dignity and it is up to us as the adults in the child’s life to ensure we have the most appropriate support in place to help them thrive and manage this testing season.
As a prior special education teacher and assessment proctor for many students during these testing seasons, I’ve sat on both sides of the table both as the teacher trying to manage testing logistics and as an advocate protecting a child’s rights and ensuring the right support is in place. What I want you to know most is this: If your child struggles during testing season, that does not mean they are failing. It means the system is asking too much without enough support. It is our responsibility as the adults in your child’s life to find out what is needed to set your child up for success.
You are not overreacting, your child is not broken or going to fail, and advocating for emotional regulation is just as important as advocating for academic accommodations. Remember that testing season is temporary, but the way your child feels about school and themselves can last far longer. Preparing now can make all the difference and feel free to schedule a time to chat if you and your child need support through this testing season.
