Learning support aide vs direct support professional

The differences between learning support aides 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 $29,021 average annual salary of a learning support aide.

The top three skills for a learning support aide include patients, cleanliness and vital signs. The most important skills for a direct support professional are direct support, developmental disabilities, and autism.

Learning support aide vs direct support professional overview

	Learning Support Aide	Direct Support Professional
Yearly salary	$29,021	$32,077
Hourly rate	$13.95	$15.42
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	123,962	142,034
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Learning support aide vs direct support professional salary

Learning support aides and direct support professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Learning Support Aide	Direct Support Professional
Average salary	$29,021	$32,077
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $18,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Paramus, NJ	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	California
Best paying company	Casa Central	Meta
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between learning support aide and direct support professional education

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

	Learning Support Aide	Direct Support Professional
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Learning support aide vs direct support professional demographics

Here are the differences between learning support aides' and direct support professionals' demographics:

	Learning Support Aide	Direct Support Professional
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 57.5% 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 Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between learning support aide and direct support professional duties and responsibilities

Learning support aide example responsibilities.

Provide and document first aid, CPR, blood pressure checks.
Attend all trainings and CPR classes.
Assist with activities of daily living (ADL).
Care for clients from their residential homes, assist with this ADL activities.
Continue to aide in the regular classroom with accommodations and adapting the curriculum as indicated in the child's IEP
Communicate with supervising instructional staff and professional support personnel for the purpose of assisting in implementing IEP objectives.

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.

Learning support aide vs direct support professional skills

Common learning support aide skills

Patients, 25%
Cleanliness, 16%
Vital Signs, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 13%
Patient Care, 7%
CPR, 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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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Learning Support Aide
Learning Support Aide vs Direct Support Professional

Updated January 8, 2025

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