Developmental technician vs direct care provider

The differences between developmental technicians and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a developmental technician has an average salary of $31,175, which is higher than the $29,470 average annual salary of a direct care provider.

The top three skills for a developmental technician include developmental disabilities, direct care and autism. The most important skills for a direct care provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Developmental technician vs direct care provider overview

	Developmental Technician	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$31,175	$29,470
Hourly rate	$14.99	$14.17
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	58,292	117,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	34	48
Years of experience	-	-

Developmental technician vs direct care provider salary

Developmental technicians and direct care providers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Developmental Technician	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$31,175	$29,470
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	South Portland, ME	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	West Tennessee Healthcare	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Energy	Health Care

Differences between developmental technician and direct care provider education

There are a few differences between a developmental technician and a direct care provider in terms of educational background:

	Developmental Technician	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	-

Developmental technician vs direct care provider demographics

Here are the differences between developmental technicians' and direct care providers' demographics:

	Developmental Technician	Direct Care Provider
Average age	34	48
Gender ratio	Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	15%	7%

Differences between developmental technician and direct care provider duties and responsibilities

Developmental technician example responsibilities.

Manage the behavior of students using the CPI training skills when necessary.
Assist individuals with their ADL's yet allowing and encouraging independence.
Develop, plan, and run vocational and safety goals for individuals.
Assist with ADL's, supervise meals, activities daily, provide a safe and structure environment.
Provide rehabilitation opportunities through facilitation of integrate rehabilitation and recreation services.
Enhance the independents of individual with DD.

Direct care provider example responsibilities.

Require certification in MANDT and CPR.
Coach and train clients to improve their daily living (ADL), social interaction and job skills.
Provide instruction and assist the consumers with active daily living (ADL) skills such as cooking, bathing, dressing.
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Facilitate exercise, vocational, arts-n-crafts, and daily living skills groups for consumers with DD.

Developmental technician vs direct care provider skills

Common developmental technician skills

Developmental Disabilities, 16%
Direct Care, 13%
Autism, 9%
Food Preparation, 9%
Behavioral Training, 8%
Mental Health, 8%

Common direct care provider skills

CPR, 24%
Developmental Disabilities, 23%
Mental Health, 5%
Direct Care, 4%
Intellectual Disabilities, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Developmental Technician
Developmental Technician vs Direct Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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