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The differences between behavior support specialists and youth care 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 youth care specialist. Additionally, a youth care specialist has an average salary of $38,955, 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 youth care specialist are customer service, patients, and CPR.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Youth Care Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,769 | $38,955 |
| Hourly rate | $17.68 | $18.73 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 140,749 | 133,042 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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.
Youth care specialists are social experts who coordinate programs for children and young people who need care while being away from their own families for some reason. These specialists are required to maintain a safe environment in the community so that children will feel safe, cared for, and nurture. They must lead various seminars for youths about topics such as job readiness, financial literacy, and higher education. They must also communicate the concerns and other important information to a child's assigned social worker and provide back-up support to case managers if needed.
Behavior support specialists and youth care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavior Support Specialist | Youth Care Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,769 | $38,955 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $46,000 | Between $24,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Annapolis, MD |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Texas | Delaware State Government |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a behavior support specialist and a youth care specialist in terms of educational background:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Youth Care Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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 youth care specialists' demographics:
| Behavior Support Specialist | Youth Care Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8% | Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6% |
| 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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 6.0% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |