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Music Therapy Board Certification Exam
Questions with Correct Verified Answers,
Already Passed! (Complete & Accurate)
1. Optimal complexity theory - ANS ✓Proposed by Berlyn in 1971; the belief that a
balance of familiarity and complexity can elicit a pleasurable emotional response
from music
2. Theory of expectations - ANS ✓Proposed by Leonard Meyer; the belief that musical
surprises elicit pleasurable emotional responses
3. Cue Redundancy model - ANS ✓A theory proposed by Balkwill and Thompson in
1999 that some musical cues are universal while other musical cues are culture
specific
4. Intellectual disability - ANS ✓Originally referred to as mental retardation; a
developmental disability marked by decreased intellectual capacity and impaired
adaptive behavior that manifests before age eighteen; causes are biomedical,
environmental, and educational and can occur prenatally, perinatally, or postnatally;
IQ is 70 or less
5. Down's Syndrome - ANS ✓A developmental disability caused by the genetic
mutation trisomy 21, causing intellectual disability and physical abnormalities
6. Fetal alcohol syndrome - ANS ✓A disorder that is caused by alcohol consumption of
the mother during gestation, resulting in intellectual disabilities, attention problems,
growth deficiencies, and/or facial deformities
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7. Fragile X syndrome - ANS ✓A disorder that is caused by genetic mutation on the X
chromosome, causing intellectual disability
8. Etiology - ANS ✓The cause or origin of a condition
9. Meningitis - ANS ✓A disease that is caused by an infection of the spinal fluid, leading
to possible hearing problems or potential death
10. Encephalitis - ANS ✓The swelling or infection of the brain
11. Genetic abnormalities - ANS ✓Broken, damaged, or missing genetic material,
causing disability
12. Metabolic errors - ANS ✓Conditions that prevent the body from successfully
breaking down substances
13. Hydrocephaly - ANS ✓A condition caused by excess cerebrospinal fluid in and
around the brain
14. Spina bifida - ANS ✓A congenital condition caused by an open defect in the spinal
column resulting from a failure of the vertebrae to close; may result in paralysis, loss
of sensation, or intellectual disability
15. Executive function - ANS ✓The ability to make decisions moment by moment and
carry out actions with intention
16. Hypotonia - ANS ✓Lack of muscle tone
17. Atlantoaxial instability - ANS ✓A misalignment of the upper spinal column that is
often found in people with Down syndrome
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18. Self-injurious behavior - ANS ✓Harmful behavior inflicted on one's self due to
frustration
19. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - ANS ✓Public Law 101-476;
established in 1990 to strengthen the Education for All Handicapped Children Act; a
federal special education law that specifies who is eligible for services and what the
nature of those services are; requires zero reject, nondiscriminatory evaluation, free
and appropriate education, least restrictive environment, procedural due process,
and parent and student participation
20. Multidisciplinary assessment - ANS ✓The assessment of the needs, strengths, and
limitations of a student with a disability conducted by professionals from a variety of
disciplines
21. Least restrictive environment (LRE) - ANS ✓In IDEA, a call to mainstream students
with disabilities as much as possible in the classroom with developmentally normal
peers with the provision of supports and services
22. Medical model - ANS ✓A model of treatment that focuses primarily on the physical
care of a patient
23. Autism spectrum disorder - ANS ✓A pervasive developmental disability that was
first described by Leo Kanner in 1943; characterized by difficulties in communication,
socialization, behavior, and cognition; caused by uneven or delayed development;
challenges vary from person to person
24. Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) - ANS ✓A group of disorders that are
characterized by deficits in communication and socialization; includes Asperger's
syndrome, Rett's syndrome, and autism
25. Asperger's syndrome - ANS ✓A condition on the autism spectrum that is
characterized by stereotypical repetitive behaviors and deficits in socialization;
language and communication skills develop normally
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26. Rett's syndrome - ANS ✓Disorder that manifests in females resulting from the
slowing of head growth after two and a half years of age; characterized by deficits in
language and communication, socialization, and physical coordination
27. Echolalic - ANS ✓Speech in which previously spoken words and phrases are
repeated without meaning
28. Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) system - ANS ✓A device or
method that is used to facilitate communication for a person with communication
deficits; examples include sign language, picture/symbol boards/books/wallets,
letter/word boards, voice output devices, and visual tracking devices
29. Picture exchange communication system (PECS) - ANS ✓An AAC system that
involves a person using a picture or symbol to represent a want or need; typically
used as an aid by children with autism
30. Stereotypical behaviors - ANS ✓Stimulative, repetitive behaviors such as flapping,
rocking, and vocalizing on vowel sounds
31. Positive behavioral supports - ANS ✓A system that involves identifying the causes of
problematic behavior and determining strategies to replace the behavior
32. Auditory awareness - ANS ✓The ability to distinguish between sound and silence
33. Auditory discrimination - ANS ✓The ability to determine the differences and/or
similarities between two or more sounds
34. Localization - ANS ✓The ability to determine the location of a sound
35. Expressive language - ANS ✓The use of verbal or nonverbal communication (e.g.
speech, sign, facial expressions, gestures)
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