Therapist: Testing Stress Reduces In Kids By June

Children who deal with stress around end-of-year testing, find themselves more relaxed again at this point of the summer.

Therapist Lori Chaney said her clinic sees an uptick in adolescent anxiety around April during TCAP season. Chaney said summer is a moment of reprieve for these students.

“That April month we’re always seeing additional things that come through that show up where anxiety is showing up, and like stomach aches, headaches, and exhaustion, so you’d really, they’re ready for that break by May.”

Chaney said the summer gives kids the chance to learn other things, such as social skills and self confidence through summer camps and programs. Chaney said that educators in the summer often bring content to children in a more engaging way than in a classroom setting.

Chaney said that TCAP anxiety is just one part of a larger issue with placing ever-higher pressure on them to excel in school.

“There’s such a demand on our kids to learn academic-wise and we keep raising the bar and raising the bar,” Chaney said.

Chaney said the warmer weather may also play a role regardless of if a student is enrolled in a summer school program or not, saying that the increased sunlight decreases depression.

“There are more outdoor activities that get us outside in the summer that are just good for self care and they’re good for our mental health,” Chaney said.

Chaney said that other benefits of the summer include increased food access due to the more rural nature of the Upper Cumberland. She said that the relative freedom summer offers can cause boredom-induced misbehavior that could be prevented by summer school programs.

Chaney is a Therapist at Insightful Pediatric and Family Therapy.