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Aba therapist vs social services assistant

The differences between aba therapists and social services assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an aba therapist, becoming a social services assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a social services assistant has an average salary of $37,445, which is higher than the $35,938 average annual salary of an aba therapist.

The top three skills for an aba therapist include autism, applied behavior analysis and BCBA. The most important skills for a social services assistant are social work, patients, and rehabilitation.

Aba therapist vs social services assistant overview

ABA TherapistSocial Services Assistant
Yearly salary$35,938$37,445
Hourly rate$17.28$18.00
Growth rate14%12%
Number of jobs90,516152,760
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4143
Years of experience412

What does an aba therapist do?

An ABA therapist is responsible for administering treatment plans to patients with behavioral disabilities and intellectual disorders, supporting them through systematic processes, and recording their developmental progress throughout therapy sessions. ABA therapists develop engaging activities for the children, observing their personal and social behaviors, and adjust approach as needed. They also coordinate with other behavior therapists and other medical health professionals for refined strategies that adhere to the child's progress. An ABA therapist must have excellent communication and organizational skills to assist patients with different behavioral problems and attend to their needs efficiently.

What does a social services assistant do?

A social services assistant is responsible for supporting the social needs of citizens within society. Social services assistants work within the community office or health institutions to assist patients and their families in processing their needs and obtaining medical information. They also coordinate with other organizations to gather additional resources and financial assistance to plan community programs that will be beneficial for society. A social services assistant provides counseling to the families to identify the services and referrals they needed.

Aba therapist vs social services assistant salary

Aba therapists and social services assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

ABA TherapistSocial Services Assistant
Average salary$35,938$37,445
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $47,000Between $29,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJTacoma, WA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyWashington
Best paying companyCook Children's Medical CenterResearch Foundation of The City University of New York
Best paying industryEducationGovernment

Differences between aba therapist and social services assistant education

There are a few differences between an aba therapist and a social services assistant in terms of educational background:

ABA TherapistSocial Services Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorPsychologySocial Work
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachSUNY at Binghamton

Aba therapist vs social services assistant demographics

Here are the differences between aba therapists' and social services assistants' demographics:

ABA TherapistSocial Services Assistant
Average age4143
Gender ratioMale, 15.4% Female, 84.6%Male, 17.0% Female, 83.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage6%11%

Differences between aba therapist and social services assistant duties and responsibilities

Aba therapist example responsibilities.

  • Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
  • Interact closely with the on-site speech-language pathologist and occupational therapist to implement patients' therapy programs.
  • Provide specialized ABA therapy for children with autism including developing behavior plans and teaching in a natural environment.
  • Obtain RBT credentials and maintain supervision hours.
  • Travele to different families houses and occasionally help with kids eating habits.
  • Maintain accurate data and graphing on designate programs.
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Social services assistant example responsibilities.

  • Initial triage of members, administrative intake of members and managing the admission/discharge information post-notification.
  • Assist individuals and families in need with applications for food stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, cash assistance and housing.
  • Develop, organize and conduct programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships and rehabilitation.
  • Verify Medicare coverage/ benefits/ obtain prior authorization.
  • Process specialize Medicaid applications receive from government agencies and social service organizations which require urgent processing.
  • Establish, maintain and generate military and community contacts structure to address various services available to respective patients.
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Aba therapist vs social services assistant skills

Common aba therapist skills
  • Autism, 19%
  • Applied Behavior Analysis, 13%
  • BCBA, 10%
  • Behavior Analysis, 9%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Developmental Disabilities, 5%
Common social services assistant skills
  • Social Work, 17%
  • Patients, 15%
  • Rehabilitation, 9%
  • Discharge Planning, 6%
  • Term Care, 6%
  • Community Resources, 3%

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