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The differences between behavior support specialists and outreach 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 an outreach specialist. Additionally, an outreach specialist has an average salary of $41,863, 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 outreach specialist are customer service, patients, and social work.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,769 | $41,863 |
| Hourly rate | $17.68 | $20.13 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 140,749 | 46,523 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| 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.
An outreach specialist is primarily responsible for organizing and managing social service programs that promote health and wellness within a community. They typically conduct research and assessments to determine the community's needs, thoroughly plan events and programs, participate in hiring staff and volunteers, and liaise with sponsors and suppliers. Often reporting to a manager or supervisor, an outreach specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports, preparing necessary documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments, and even responding to inquiries and concerns.
Behavior support specialists and outreach specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,769 | $41,863 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $46,000 | Between $29,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | California |
| Best paying company | Texas | CME Group |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a behavior support specialist and an outreach specialist in terms of educational background:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between behavior support specialists' and outreach specialists' demographics:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8% | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |