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Language pathologist vs school psychologist

The differences between language pathologists and school psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a language pathologist and a school psychologist. Additionally, a school psychologist has an average salary of $78,431, which is higher than the $63,169 average annual salary of a language pathologist.

The top three skills for a language pathologist include speech-language pathology, patients and autism. The most important skills for a school psychologist are professional development, mental health, and psychological services.

Language pathologist vs school psychologist overview

Language PathologistSchool Psychologist
Yearly salary$63,169$78,431
Hourly rate$30.37$37.71
Growth rate21%14%
Number of jobs25,31625,457
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4043
Years of experience22

Language pathologist vs school psychologist salary

Language pathologists and school psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Language PathologistSchool Psychologist
Average salary$63,169$78,431
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $89,000Between $55,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-CORA Services
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between language pathologist and school psychologist education

There are a few differences between a language pathologist and a school psychologist in terms of educational background:

Language PathologistSchool Psychologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorCommunication Disorders SciencesPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorthwestern University

Language pathologist vs school psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between language pathologists' and school psychologists' demographics:

Language PathologistSchool Psychologist
Average age4043
Gender ratioMale, 10.5% Female, 89.5%Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 4.5% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%12%

Differences between language pathologist and school psychologist duties and responsibilities

Language pathologist example responsibilities.

  • Manage all relate paperwork including lesson planning for SLP-assistants and Medicaid reimbursement.
  • Provide evaluation and remediation of various forms of communication disorders for preschool and school-age population in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic.
  • Assess appropriate AAC device for student use, and program device for each student's specific needs.
  • Apply behavior analysis and discrete trial training are used to train the children on the AAC devices.
  • Evaluate and treat adults with cognitive dysfunction, swallowing disorders, apraxia and aphasia in long term care.
  • Review all daily notes submit by SLP assistants and provide feedback for written documentation and feedback for direct therapy services.
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School psychologist example responsibilities.

  • Work alongside grade-level teachers and lead small math groups for both remedial and advance students.
  • Lead small student groups addressing social skills, friendship-making, divorce, ADHD, organizational skills and homework completion.
  • Provide brief evidence-base individual, couple, and group psychotherapy to veterans refer for mental health treatment.
  • Provide individual and family interventions to geriatric patients in nursing home facilities for long term care and rehabilitation treatment.
  • Participate on the weekly DBT consultation team.
  • Motivate kids to stay in school and improve their social skills.
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Language pathologist vs school psychologist skills

Common language pathologist skills
  • Speech-Language Pathology, 18%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Autism, 8%
  • Dysphagia, 8%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • IEP, 3%
Common school psychologist skills
  • Professional Development, 18%
  • Mental Health, 13%
  • Psychological Services, 7%
  • K-12, 7%
  • Crisis Intervention, 4%
  • Autism, 3%

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