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The differences between speech pathologist assistants and speech therapy assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a speech pathologist assistant has an average salary of $58,474, which is higher than the $35,140 average annual salary of a speech therapy assistant.
The top three skills for a speech pathologist assistant include patients, home health and language disorders. The most important skills for a speech therapy assistant are patients, speech-language pathologist, and autism.
| Speech Pathologist Assistant | Speech Therapy Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $58,474 | $35,140 |
| Hourly rate | $28.11 | $16.89 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 25% |
| Number of jobs | 22,793 | 34,165 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A speech pathologist assistant is an individual who assists a speech pathologist to diagnose and treat patients with disorders that are related to speech, language, and fluency. Speech pathologist assistants must perform tasks delegated by speech pathologists, such as assisting in hearing screenings and checking equipment. They are required to follow documented treatment plans that are created by licensed pathologists and informally document a patient's performance. Speech pathologist assistants must also assist in research and the creation and maintenance of public relations programs.
Speech Therapy Assistants are responsible for providing administrative and operational support to speech therapists in aiding patients with conditions affecting communication, feeding, and swallowing. Their duties include collecting patient communication information, assist in implementing evidence-based intervention programs, identify staff training needs, and gathering information from observations and sessions. They maintain accurate work activity notes, answer phone calls, respond to emails, and manage supplies procurement. Speech Therapist Assistants also assist in developing communication strategies.
Speech pathologist assistants and speech therapy assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Speech Pathologist Assistant | Speech Therapy Assistant | |
| Average salary | $58,474 | $35,140 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $88,000 | Between $21,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Batavia, IL | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Encompass Health | RWJBarnabas Health |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Education |
There are a few differences between a speech pathologist assistant and a speech therapy assistant in terms of educational background:
| Speech Pathologist Assistant | Speech Therapy Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Communication Disorders Sciences | Communication Disorders Sciences |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Columbia University in the City of New York |
Here are the differences between speech pathologist assistants' and speech therapy assistants' demographics:
| Speech Pathologist Assistant | Speech Therapy Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% | Male, 17.6% Female, 82.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 9.1% White, 48.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 9.3% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |