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The differences between behavioral assistants and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a behavioral assistant, becoming an assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a behavioral assistant has an average salary of $39,681, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.
The top three skills for a behavioral assistant include behavioral interventions, mental health and patients. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Behavioral Assistant | Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $39,681 | $37,363 |
| Hourly rate | $19.08 | $17.96 |
| Growth rate | 12% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 80,685 | 557,900 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 43 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Behavioral Assistants are responsible for providing support and capacity in behavioral and clinical services for students with disabilities. Their duties include addressing behavior management safety needs, supporting emotional and social needs, giving academic support, and implementing behavioral improvement plans. They also deal with physical management, behavior de-escalations, and undertake student reviews with the teacher regularly. Behavioral Assistants will also collect data, write student reports, and ensure health and hygiene protocols are adhered to.
An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.
Behavioral assistants and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavioral Assistant | Assistant | |
| Average salary | $39,681 | $37,363 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $53,000 | Between $16,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Maria, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Physician Affiliate Group of New York | Latham & Watkins |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Education |
There are a few differences between a behavioral assistant and an assistant in terms of educational background:
| Behavioral Assistant | Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between behavioral assistants' and assistants' demographics:
| Behavioral Assistant | Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |