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The differences between behavioral assistants and youth assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a behavioral assistant and a youth assistant. Additionally, a behavioral assistant has an average salary of $39,681, which is higher than the $30,242 average annual salary of a youth assistant.
The top three skills for a behavioral assistant include behavioral interventions, mental health and patients. The most important skills for a youth assistant are child guidance, CPR, and community services.
| Behavioral Assistant | Youth Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $39,681 | $30,242 |
| Hourly rate | $19.08 | $14.54 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 80,685 | 70,165 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A youth assistant is responsible for developing activity plans and scheduling programs in line with a child or youth's unique needs. As a youth assistant, you'll need to observe and understand a kid's needs and incorporate activities or social plans to help the child develop. Youth assistants are tasked with meeting the child's unique social, physical, emotional, and intellectual needs. A youth assistant also instructs, demonstrates, facilitates, and leads various program activities to benefit the child or youth in care.
Behavioral assistants and youth assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavioral Assistant | Youth Assistant | |
| Average salary | $39,681 | $30,242 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $53,000 | Between $24,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Maria, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Physician Affiliate Group of New York | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a behavioral assistant and a youth assistant in terms of educational background:
| Behavioral Assistant | Youth Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between behavioral assistants' and youth assistants' demographics:
| Behavioral Assistant | Youth Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3% | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% |
| 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, 12.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |