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Intervention specialist vs special educator

The differences between intervention specialists and special educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special educator has an average salary of $53,565, which is higher than the $50,180 average annual salary of an intervention specialist.

The top three skills for an intervention specialist include mental health, social work and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a special educator are autism, student learning, and math.

Intervention specialist vs special educator overview

Intervention SpecialistSpecial Educator
Yearly salary$50,180$53,565
Hourly rate$24.12$25.75
Growth rate9%4%
Number of jobs69,15662,545
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4543
Years of experience4-

What does an intervention specialist do?

An intervention specialist is responsible for assisting children with special education and social adjustment needs in schools and other educational settings. You will be responsible for designing, executing, and assessing programs based on different factors, including gender, cultural background, and age. Other tasks that you will likely perform include working closely with teachers to discuss the subject matter with students, ensuring children and occupied and safe, and maintaining records of children's performance and lesson plans. An intervention specialist is also responsible for adhering to individualized education programs.

What does a special educator do?

A special education teacher's role is to facilitate learning for students with disabilities. The responsibilities of a special education teacher typically revolve around identifying the needs of students, devising lesson plans and strategies to meet their needs, developing test structure to assess their learning, and assisting them in areas of difficulties. It is also essential to coordinate with families and guardians, reporting to them should there be any problems. Furthermore, as a special education teacher, it is necessary to monitor the students' progress and behavior, maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for them.

Intervention specialist vs special educator salary

Intervention specialists and special educators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Intervention SpecialistSpecial Educator
Average salary$50,180$53,565
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $70,000Between $38,000 And $75,000
Highest paying CityAlameda, CAOceanside, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyBirchCapistrano Unified
Best paying industryGovernmentGovernment

Differences between intervention specialist and special educator education

There are a few differences between an intervention specialist and a special educator in terms of educational background:

Intervention SpecialistSpecial Educator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorPsychologySpecial Education
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorthwestern University

Intervention specialist vs special educator demographics

Here are the differences between intervention specialists' and special educators' demographics:

Intervention SpecialistSpecial Educator
Average age4543
Gender ratioMale, 30.4% Female, 69.6%Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage15%8%

Differences between intervention specialist and special educator duties and responsibilities

Intervention specialist example responsibilities.

  • Conduct mental health triage; make appropriate dispositions to other inpatient units with the local area.
  • Coordinate with parents, general education teachers, service providers in all aspects of the IEP and ETR annual review process.
  • Assist families with children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
  • Track students' GPA, college and career goals.
  • Supervise employees and train for EIS certification through DARS and state of Texas.
  • Perform crisis phone triage, mobile face to face assessments and arrange for respite services.
  • Show more

Special educator example responsibilities.

  • Lead the data team with interpreting results, including NWEA and other benchmark assessments.
  • Develop individual lesson plans at Pre-K level.
  • Work collaboratively with teachers in mathematics and writing.
  • Counsele and provide special education to senior kindergarten students.
  • Implement an individualize curriculum for a kindergarten student with a moderate cognitive impairment.
  • Develop interactive computer lessons to enhance science and math curriculum and student engagement utilizing technology.
  • Show more

Intervention specialist vs special educator skills

Common intervention specialist skills
  • Mental Health, 13%
  • Social Work, 9%
  • Crisis Intervention, 6%
  • Classroom Management, 5%
  • Group Sessions, 5%
  • IEP, 4%
Common special educator skills
  • Autism, 9%
  • Student Learning, 8%
  • Math, 7%
  • Public Schools, 7%
  • Learning Environment, 6%
  • Mathematics, 6%

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