It's great you're looking into ABA and ESDM! Both therapies show promising long-term progress for children with autism, leading to improvements in cognitive, language, social, and adaptive skills.

A recent study in Frontiers in Pediatrics (2025) found that both ABA and ESDM resulted in gains across areas like cognitive verbal skills, language, and social reciprocity. Interestingly, ESDM showed better improvements in social reciprocity, while ABA excelled in gross motor skills.

ESDM can lead to broader developmental benefits, including IQ increases and reduced autism severity. ABA effectively targets behavioral challenges and functional skills. No single approach is universally superior; the best choice depends on individual needs!