It's great you're looking into ABA and ESDM! A recent study looked at how both therapies impact children with autism over time, and here's what they found:

Both ABA and ESDM lead to improvements in cognition, language, social skills, and adaptive behaviors. One study showed ESDM had stronger effects on social reciprocity, while ABA excelled in gross motor skills. Another study showed that two years of ESDM led to lasting gains with reduced repetitive behaviors.

Meta-analyses confirm that ESDM boosts cognition, language, and IQ, while ABA shows cognitive and adaptive gains. For ABA, 20-40 hours a week is the recommended intensity. You can find more details on the long-term effects of ESDM here: https://www.thetransmitter.org..../spectrum/early-ther