Decisions, decisions...

I mentioned in a post (about a week ago) that we recently quit doing ABA therapy. ABA is a behavior therapy where they reward/reinforce good behavior and fade out inappropriate behavior. It's supposed to be really good with autistic kids b/c it's repetative and there's an immediate reinforcer when something is done correctly. We did this therapy in-home 3 afternoons a week (a total of 6 hours) for a year and didn't see much improvement. I mean, it didn't hurt her to work on tasks for 2 hours, but we just didn't see the improvements with ABA that we've seen from her teachers at preschool.

I've been working with EK every afternoon in the playroom, doing things like: shape sorter, puzzles, coins in a bank, stringing beads, stacking blocks, reading books, sorting objects, etc. I don't mind doing it, but it's gotten difficult on the days AC decides she doesn't need a nap. EK doesn't work as hard when AC is in there and I can't focus all my attention on EK like I need to. But I also feel bad when AC wants my attention and is asking me to watch her or play with her. AHHHH!

When we first started reading about autism, ABA is the one thing that most doctors agree on. Over and over we read that ages 3-5 are the critical years to get therapy/intervention. We're now more than halfway there....very scary since she's actually regressed more than when she was first diagnosed, mainly in October when she lost all speech.

So, I'm been doing more research and have found 2 other ABA places nearby. Both do a formal type of ABA called "discrete trials" where most of the work is done sitting at a table. The modified ABA that we did was a little more like play therapy. They wanted EK to work wherever she was comfortable: on the floor, sitting on a chair, sitting in the therapist's lap, etc. Since we've tried the modified, I'm now wondering if the more structured ABA would benefit EK. It would also be done at a center rather than our house.

Here are my concerns/thoughts:
*EK still has a lot of anxiety. She cries and screams to let you know she isn't comfortable. Do we wait a little while to see if that subsides or will more time increase her anxiety b/c she'll get used to being with me and not other people?
*I don't want EK to miss opportunities for more therapy!
*Maybe going to a center rather than doing it at home would be better...another "mom-free zone". She won't expect me to be there, like at preschool.
*Preschool will be over in several weeks. EK will go to an extended school year but it's totally different teachers, a different school, a different schedule, etc. I don't want her to regress more this summer.

I guess what I need most is prayers for wisdom and discernment. I have been praying constantly the past couple days. I don't want to make a hasty decision. I want to do the BEST thing for EK, but I'm just not sure what that is right now! My plan is to call both places on Monday to see what our options are. Will you pray for us? I'll keep you posted...