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The differences between child development specialists and child life specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a child development specialist, becoming a child life specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $46,186 average annual salary of a child development specialist.
The top three skills for a child development specialist include child development, social work and mental health. The most important skills for a child life specialist are patients, child development, and patient care.
| Child Development Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $46,186 | $55,201 |
| Hourly rate | $22.20 | $26.54 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 69,495 | 90,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Child development specialists are psychology experts who work with children suffering from various developmental and psychological disorders. These specialists must ensure that children with developmental and psychological disorders receive the care they need to overcome their difficult obstacles. They are required to socialize with these children while evaluating their ability to regulate emotions and identifying their needs for communication. Child development specialists must also create therapy and counseling programs to help children overcome their developmental obstacles.
The job of a child life specialist is to help children and their families navigate the process of injury, illness, trauma, hospitalization, and disability. These health care professionals perform varied duties that include helping children and their families better understand the procedure and process of their medical experience. They also work on developing strategies to lessen the trauma and improve their understanding of a diagnosis by providing support, guidance, and information to family members. They are also expected to work closely with other members of the health care team in coordinating and managing care.
Child development specialists and child life specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Development Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average salary | $46,186 | $55,201 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $66,000 | Between $31,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Manalapan, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a child development specialist and a child life specialist in terms of educational background:
| Child Development Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between child development specialists' and child life specialists' demographics:
| Child Development Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 5.9% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |