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The differences between behavior support specialists and living 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 living specialist. Additionally, a behavior support specialist has an average salary of $36,769, which is higher than the $36,759 average annual salary of a living 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 living specialist are independent living, community resources, and autism.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Living Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,769 | $36,759 |
| Hourly rate | $17.68 | $17.67 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 140,749 | 49,916 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| 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 living specialist is a person who is responsible for assisting and guiding individuals that have difficulties caring for themselves. They are the person who helps them in doing household chores and guiding them throughout the cleaning process. This career is an important position in society because it provides care for those who are in need.
Behavior support specialists and living specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Living Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,769 | $36,759 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $46,000 | Between $28,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | New York |
| Best paying company | Texas | Terros Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a behavior support specialist and a living specialist in terms of educational background:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Living Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between behavior support specialists' and living specialists' demographics:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Living Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8% | Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5% |
| 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, 10.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.8% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |