Child Life Certification Exam Correct Answers
2025
When the three-year-old sibling of a patient who is dying begins to ask questions about
death, the child life specialist should expect questions that reflect which stage of
cognitive development? - ANSWER- Pre-operational
What should a child life specialist look for when assessing a child and family? -
ANSWER- A wide range of variables and systems that influence the successful
management of stressors
Which of the following would a child life specialist need to do to include cross-cultural
competence in their practice with children and families? - ANSWER- Develop
knowledge and skills to increase one's understanding and appreciation of cultural
differences and similarities within, among, and between groups.
When assessing the stress potential of a child, the child life specialist should seek which
of the following information? - ANSWER- Previous healthcare experiences
What should a child life specialist be able to assess through observations of a child's
play? - ANSWER- Temperament
A 15-year-old has recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness. One of the goals of
the child life specialist's interventions is to increase the patient's understanding of the
illness. Which of the following is MOST important in evaluating the effectiveness of the
intervention? - ANSWER- The patient can explain the diagnosis to friends in an age-
appropriate manner.
What is the sequence of reactions of young children to separation from primary
caregivers? - ANSWER- Protest, despair, and detachment
What is the purpose of encouraging patients who are 13- to 18-years-old to dress in
their own clothes and maintain personal grooming and hygiene during hospitalization? -
ANSWER- Facilitating adjustment by normalizing the hospital environment
When a child expresses negative, hostile, or aggressive feelings during play, what
action should the child life specialist take? - ANSWER- Validate the child's feelings
Developing and maintaining a therapeutic relationship would be MOST important for
which of the following patients? - ANSWER- One whose primary caretaker cannot be
with him/her on a regular basis
Which of the following is the most important to remember when documenting in a
patient's chart or medical record by hand or in an electronic format? - ANSWER- It is a
legal document admissible in court
, What is a passive response to the stressors of hospitalization? - ANSWER- Excessive
sleeping
When a 9-year-old is using thumb sucking as a coping mechanism, he/she may be
displaying which of the following behaviors? - ANSWER- Regression
A child who has been severely injured is upset by a visiting entertainer who asks what
happened to the child's face. What action should the child life specialist have taken to
avoid this situation? - ANSWER- Informed the guest about acceptable ways of
interacting with patients
Soon after admission to the hospital, a 10-year-old child expresses fears about his/her
parents not staying overnight. He/she is afraid they will not come back tomorrow. Which
of the following would be the MOST appropriate initial intervention by the child life
specialist? - ANSWER- Encourage the patient to express fears and explore ways for her
to maintain contact with the family.
Which of the following activities should be implemented to provide an opportunity for a
volunteer to express feelings arising from his/her work? - ANSWER- Regularly
scheduled meetings with supervisor
A 14-year-old sibling's response to his sister who is dying is "I don't know what
everyone's so concerned about. She will pull through; she always does." What type of
coping effort best describes this comment? - ANSWER- Psychological
What type of care recognizes primary family caregivers as the experts in care of the
child? - ANSWER- Family-centered
What should be considered when evaluating a child life plan of care? - ANSWER- Goal
to be achieved
Which of the following represents the effective process for problem solving? -
ANSWER- Problem identification, problem analysis, idea generation, and
implementation
How can the use of statistics, numerical analysis, and databases be beneficial to a child
life program? - ANSWER- Assist in evaluation and program development
Which of the following is true regarding documentation in the medical record? -
ANSWER- It provides basic communication for the health care team
Which of the following describes the child life specialist's obligation to demonstrate
veracity? - ANSWER- Being truthful
2025
When the three-year-old sibling of a patient who is dying begins to ask questions about
death, the child life specialist should expect questions that reflect which stage of
cognitive development? - ANSWER- Pre-operational
What should a child life specialist look for when assessing a child and family? -
ANSWER- A wide range of variables and systems that influence the successful
management of stressors
Which of the following would a child life specialist need to do to include cross-cultural
competence in their practice with children and families? - ANSWER- Develop
knowledge and skills to increase one's understanding and appreciation of cultural
differences and similarities within, among, and between groups.
When assessing the stress potential of a child, the child life specialist should seek which
of the following information? - ANSWER- Previous healthcare experiences
What should a child life specialist be able to assess through observations of a child's
play? - ANSWER- Temperament
A 15-year-old has recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness. One of the goals of
the child life specialist's interventions is to increase the patient's understanding of the
illness. Which of the following is MOST important in evaluating the effectiveness of the
intervention? - ANSWER- The patient can explain the diagnosis to friends in an age-
appropriate manner.
What is the sequence of reactions of young children to separation from primary
caregivers? - ANSWER- Protest, despair, and detachment
What is the purpose of encouraging patients who are 13- to 18-years-old to dress in
their own clothes and maintain personal grooming and hygiene during hospitalization? -
ANSWER- Facilitating adjustment by normalizing the hospital environment
When a child expresses negative, hostile, or aggressive feelings during play, what
action should the child life specialist take? - ANSWER- Validate the child's feelings
Developing and maintaining a therapeutic relationship would be MOST important for
which of the following patients? - ANSWER- One whose primary caretaker cannot be
with him/her on a regular basis
Which of the following is the most important to remember when documenting in a
patient's chart or medical record by hand or in an electronic format? - ANSWER- It is a
legal document admissible in court
, What is a passive response to the stressors of hospitalization? - ANSWER- Excessive
sleeping
When a 9-year-old is using thumb sucking as a coping mechanism, he/she may be
displaying which of the following behaviors? - ANSWER- Regression
A child who has been severely injured is upset by a visiting entertainer who asks what
happened to the child's face. What action should the child life specialist have taken to
avoid this situation? - ANSWER- Informed the guest about acceptable ways of
interacting with patients
Soon after admission to the hospital, a 10-year-old child expresses fears about his/her
parents not staying overnight. He/she is afraid they will not come back tomorrow. Which
of the following would be the MOST appropriate initial intervention by the child life
specialist? - ANSWER- Encourage the patient to express fears and explore ways for her
to maintain contact with the family.
Which of the following activities should be implemented to provide an opportunity for a
volunteer to express feelings arising from his/her work? - ANSWER- Regularly
scheduled meetings with supervisor
A 14-year-old sibling's response to his sister who is dying is "I don't know what
everyone's so concerned about. She will pull through; she always does." What type of
coping effort best describes this comment? - ANSWER- Psychological
What type of care recognizes primary family caregivers as the experts in care of the
child? - ANSWER- Family-centered
What should be considered when evaluating a child life plan of care? - ANSWER- Goal
to be achieved
Which of the following represents the effective process for problem solving? -
ANSWER- Problem identification, problem analysis, idea generation, and
implementation
How can the use of statistics, numerical analysis, and databases be beneficial to a child
life program? - ANSWER- Assist in evaluation and program development
Which of the following is true regarding documentation in the medical record? -
ANSWER- It provides basic communication for the health care team
Which of the following describes the child life specialist's obligation to demonstrate
veracity? - ANSWER- Being truthful
