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The differences between early intervention specialists and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an early intervention specialist and a program counselor. Additionally, an early intervention specialist has an average salary of $46,103, which is higher than the $43,820 average annual salary of a program counselor.
The top three skills for an early intervention specialist include early intervention, developmental disabilities and applied behavior analysis. The most important skills for a program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Early Intervention Specialist | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $46,103 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $22.16 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 22,033 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Early intervention specialists are responsible for determining and helping youth who are manifesting deficiencies in the fundamental areas of learning. They are trained teachers who work with youngsters between birth and age four to direct developmental impediments. Also, they have an essential role in bridging children and their families with other social service workers. Their jobs include carefully evaluating the child, establishing developmental goals, creating medication plans, recommending learning activities, and keeping track of the child's progress.
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Early intervention specialists and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Early Intervention Specialist | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $46,103 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $70,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Children's Hospital Los Angeles | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an early intervention specialist and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Early Intervention Specialist | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between early intervention specialists' and program counselors' demographics:
| Early Intervention Specialist | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 15% |