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Habilitation technician vs direct support professional

The differences between habilitation technicians and direct support professionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct support professional has an average salary of $32,077, which is higher than the $25,778 average annual salary of a habilitation technician.

The top three skills for a habilitation technician include developmental disabilities, home health and treatment plan. The most important skills for a direct support professional are direct support, developmental disabilities, and autism.

Habilitation technician vs direct support professional overview

Habilitation TechnicianDirect Support Professional
Yearly salary$25,778$32,077
Hourly rate$12.39$15.42
Growth rate9%36%
Number of jobs55,954142,034
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%High School Diploma, 30%
Average age3448
Years of experience--

Habilitation technician vs direct support professional salary

Habilitation technicians and direct support professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.

Habilitation TechnicianDirect Support Professional
Average salary$25,778$32,077
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $33,000Between $18,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City-Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between habilitation technician and direct support professional education

There are a few differences between a habilitation technician and a direct support professional in terms of educational background:

Habilitation TechnicianDirect Support Professional
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%High School Diploma, 30%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeJohns Hopkins University-

Habilitation technician vs direct support professional demographics

Here are the differences between habilitation technicians' and direct support professionals' demographics:

Habilitation TechnicianDirect Support Professional
Average age3448
Gender ratioMale, 25.2% Female, 74.8%Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage15%7%

Differences between habilitation technician and direct support professional duties and responsibilities

Habilitation technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage the behavior of students using the CPI training skills when necessary.
  • Obtain MANDT, defensive driving, and CPR certification.
  • Maintain certification in and administer CPR and first-aide if need.
  • Provide care and behavioral interventions to clients with autism (full spectrum).
  • Maintain and implement individual behavioral plans, personal care, psychological support, ADL 's
  • Assist clients in ADL's and obtaining critical goals in learning and life skills.
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Direct support professional example responsibilities.

  • Work with adults who have disabilities to help manage everyday tasks such as laundry, cooking, preparing groceries, etc.
  • Provide care to adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities while administering their medication via AMAP certification
  • Support the development of individuals with autism by promoting community involvement and performing exercises to strengthen their cognitive and social skills.
  • Assist with toileting, including urinals.
  • Maintain medical records according to all HIPPA guidelines.
  • Assist coordinator to train new DCW on assign shift.
  • Show more

Habilitation technician vs direct support professional skills

Common habilitation technician skills
  • Developmental Disabilities, 18%
  • Home Health, 13%
  • Treatment Plan, 9%
  • Independent Living, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Medication Administration, 4%
Common direct support professional skills
  • Direct Support, 19%
  • Developmental Disabilities, 12%
  • Autism, 9%
  • Direct Care, 7%
  • DSP, 7%
  • Mental Health, 6%

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