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The differences between developmental specialists and child life 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 developmental specialist and a child life specialist. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $42,829 average annual salary of a developmental specialist.
The top three skills for a developmental specialist include social work, developmental disabilities and autism. The most important skills for a child life specialist are patients, child development, and patient care.
| Developmental Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $42,829 | $55,201 |
| Hourly rate | $20.59 | $26.54 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 7,776 | 90,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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.
Developmental specialists and child life specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Developmental Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average salary | $42,829 | $55,201 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $58,000 | Between $31,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | UMass Memorial Health | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a developmental specialist and a child life specialist in terms of educational background:
| Developmental Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between developmental specialists' and child life specialists' demographics:
| Developmental Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.1% Female, 80.9% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 11% |