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The differences between behavior support specialists and developmental specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a behavior support specialist and a developmental specialist. Additionally, a developmental specialist has an average salary of $42,829, which is higher than the $36,769 average annual salary of a behavior support specialist.
The top three skills for a behavior support specialist include social work, crisis intervention and applied behavior analysis. The most important skills for a developmental specialist are social work, developmental disabilities, and autism.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Developmental Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,769 | $42,829 |
| Hourly rate | $17.68 | $20.59 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 140,749 | 7,776 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Behavior support specialists are social work professionals who provide support to other therapists in treating individuals with behavioral issues. These specialists must provide behavior analysis and health consultations to individuals who are diagnosed with development delay issues, disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. They must develop and monitor crisis intervention plans for patients with mental health and behavioral needs. Behavior support specialists must also work with special education and regular teachers to implement behavior intervention strategies for students with special education needs.
A developmental specialist typically works in the human resources department. Your job involves training employees and encouraging their peers to participate. Other duties include evaluating the company's HR and training programs, identifying the best type of training to ensure employee and company success, and designing and developing employee discussions, simulations, and exercises. In addition, you are expected to network with prospective donors and look for new funding sources. You are also expected to promote the organization's cause or work through advertisements, soirees, and literature.
Behavior support specialists and developmental specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Developmental Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,769 | $42,829 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $46,000 | Between $31,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Texas | UMass Memorial Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between a behavior support specialist and a developmental specialist in terms of educational background:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Developmental Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between behavior support specialists' and developmental specialists' demographics:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Developmental Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8% | Male, 19.1% Female, 80.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.9% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |