Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between behavioral specialists and developmental specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a behavioral specialist, becoming a developmental specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a developmental specialist has an average salary of $42,829, which is higher than the $42,029 average annual salary of a behavioral specialist.
The top three skills for a behavioral specialist include mental health, autism and applied behavior analysis. The most important skills for a developmental specialist are social work, developmental disabilities, and autism.
| Behavioral Specialist | Developmental Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $42,029 | $42,829 |
| Hourly rate | $20.21 | $20.59 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 74,968 | 7,776 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
A behavioral specialist is a psychological expert providing guidance and counseling to people who have behavioral issues affecting their abilities to learn and socialize with other people. Behavioral specialists assess the level of patients' behavior and make treatment plans to help them cope. They monitor the patient's progress and keep treatment reports, improving or adjusting treatment plans as needed. They also communicate with the patients' family and friends for treatment support, as well as coordinate with other health professionals for additional assistance.
A developmental specialist typically works in the human resources department. Your job involves training employees and encouraging their peers to participate. Other duties include evaluating the company's HR and training programs, identifying the best type of training to ensure employee and company success, and designing and developing employee discussions, simulations, and exercises. In addition, you are expected to network with prospective donors and look for new funding sources. You are also expected to promote the organization's cause or work through advertisements, soirees, and literature.
Behavioral specialists and developmental specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavioral Specialist | Developmental Specialist | |
| Average salary | $42,029 | $42,829 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $61,000 | Between $31,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Barbarian | UMass Memorial Health |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a behavioral specialist and a developmental specialist in terms of educational background:
| Behavioral Specialist | Developmental Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between behavioral specialists' and developmental specialists' demographics:
| Behavioral Specialist | Developmental Specialist | |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% | Male, 19.1% Female, 80.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |