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The differences between behavior support specialists and therapeutic support staff 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 therapeutic support staff. Additionally, a behavior support specialist has an average salary of $36,769, which is higher than the $34,086 average annual salary of a therapeutic support staff.
The top three skills for a behavior support specialist include social work, crisis intervention and applied behavior analysis. The most important skills for a therapeutic support staff are autism, social work, and rehabilitation.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Therapeutic Support Staff | |
| Yearly salary | $36,769 | $34,086 |
| Hourly rate | $17.68 | $16.39 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 140,749 | 192,172 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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 therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs. Through this assessment, therapeutic support staff can develop specific treatments in collaboration with mental health practitioners. One may directly work with schools, clinics, and other medical health facilities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain all clients' records and monitor their progress, regularly updating the assigned physician or caseworker.
Behavior support specialists and therapeutic support staff have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Therapeutic Support Staff | |
| Average salary | $36,769 | $34,086 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $46,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | - |
| Best paying company | Texas | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a behavior support specialist and a therapeutic support staff in terms of educational background:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Therapeutic Support Staff | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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 therapeutic support staff' demographics:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Therapeutic Support Staff | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8% | Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6% |
| 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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |