CHILD LIFE CERTIFICATION FINAL EXAM PAPER
2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED
A+
◉ 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
2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED
A+
◉ 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
