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The differences between therapeutic support staff and assessment specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a therapeutic support staff, becoming an assessment specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an assessment specialist has an average salary of $64,402, which is higher than the $34,086 average annual salary of a therapeutic support staff.
The top three skills for a therapeutic support staff include autism, social work and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an assessment specialist are social work, patients, and edition.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Assessment Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $34,086 | $64,402 |
| Hourly rate | $16.39 | $30.96 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 192,172 | 90,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs. Through this assessment, therapeutic support staff can develop specific treatments in collaboration with mental health practitioners. One may directly work with schools, clinics, and other medical health facilities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain all clients' records and monitor their progress, regularly updating the assigned physician or caseworker.
An assessment specialist is an administrative professional who is responsible for designing and conducting assessment tests for a variety of academic clients. Assessment specialists are required to coordinate and implement the student testing program, which includes assessing an individual child's needs, potentials, and limitations. They must monitor special education or talent and gifted (TAG) staff to ensure that objectives are met. Assessment specialists must also need to know state laws and federal that pertain to educational assessments.
Therapeutic support staff and assessment specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Assessment Specialist | |
| Average salary | $34,086 | $64,402 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $47,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a therapeutic support staff and an assessment specialist in terms of educational background:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Assessment Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between therapeutic support staff' and assessment specialists' demographics:
| Therapeutic Support Staff | Assessment Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6% | Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% | Black 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |