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The differences between behavior support specialists and intervention specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a behavior support specialist, becoming an intervention specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an intervention specialist has an average salary of $50,180, 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 an intervention specialist are mental health, social work, and crisis intervention.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Intervention Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,769 | $50,180 |
| Hourly rate | $17.68 | $24.12 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 140,749 | 69,156 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
An intervention specialist is responsible for assisting children with special education and social adjustment needs in schools and other educational settings. You will be responsible for designing, executing, and assessing programs based on different factors, including gender, cultural background, and age. Other tasks that you will likely perform include working closely with teachers to discuss the subject matter with students, ensuring children and occupied and safe, and maintaining records of children's performance and lesson plans. An intervention specialist is also responsible for adhering to individualized education programs.
Behavior support specialists and intervention specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Intervention Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,769 | $50,180 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $46,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Alameda, CA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | California |
| Best paying company | Texas | Birch |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a behavior support specialist and an intervention specialist in terms of educational background:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Intervention Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between behavior support specialists' and intervention specialists' demographics:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Intervention Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8% | Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6% |
| 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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |