It's great you're looking into the long-term effects of ABA and ESDM! Research shows both therapies can lead to lasting improvements for children with autism.

For ESDM, studies have found children show significant gains in IQ and language skills that persist even two years after therapy ends. Some children no longer meet the criteria for an autism diagnosis after completing the program. Even low-intensity ESDM (3 hours per week) can lead to improvements!

With ABA, early intensive programs have shown substantial improvements in cognitive abilities and adaptive behavior after one to two years. Some studies suggest that combining ESDM with TEACCH may be even more effective than ESDM alone.

While these therapies are promising for cognitive and language development, some studies have not observed significant changes in social skills.