Bibliometric Analysis of Publications on Parents of Children with Special Needs

Introduction: Children with special needs are individuals born with congenital or acquired physical, intellectual, sensory or behavioral differences. Since these children have different needs from other individuals in society, these differences affect their own lives and the lives of their families in different ways. This study aimed to reveal the future course of research on parents of children with special needs by examining the current situation and improvements in the field of special education, evaluating the scientific outputs of research on parents of children with special needs on a global scale.Method: Articles concerning the experiences of parents of children with special needs were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), and bibliometric analyses were conducted using VOSviewer software. The analysis was based on research articles on “parents of children with special needs” discovered between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2023 using all WOSCC indexes. In this study, WoSCC' title, abstract, authors, nations, institutions and keywords were used to identify “parents or family.” AND special needs OR special needs AND child" search terms were used.Findings: Parents of children with special needs experience difficulties in childcare and upbringing. In this study, 1831 articles published by 5109 authors from 2001 institutions in 92 countries were examined. The universities of London, California, and Toronto were the most publishing institutions; the USA ranked first with 417 articles, followed by Canada, the UK, Australia, and Türkiye.Discussion: Research in this field has been shaped by international collaboration and highlights issues, such as cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder and quality of life. Parent-focused studies go beyond the medical perspective to include psychosocial and social dimensions. Parental stress and social support are prominent themes in the literature. Interdisciplinary approaches and institutional contributions make important contributions to the field at academic and policy levels.

Summary

Main Finding

Çalışma (Öntürk-Akyüz & Demir-Öztürk, 2026) özel gereksinimli çocukları olan ebeveynlere ilişkin küresel akademik literatürü 1990–2023 dönemi için Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) verileriyle bibliyometrik olarak haritalamış; alandaki yayın sayısının 2000'lerden itibaren belirgin şekilde arttığını, otizm/gelişimsel bozukluklar ve bakım/yaşam kalitesi konularının baskın olduğunu, disiplinlerarası ve uluslararası işbirliklerinin öne çıktığını tespit etmiştir.

Key Points

Veri seti: Başlangıçta 2.109 kayıt; filtreleme sonrası 1.831 özgün araştırma makalesi analiz edildi (1990–31.12.2023 arası keşif; veri çekim/temizleme 2023 yazı).
Yazarlar/kurumlar/ülkeler: 5.109 yazar, 2.001 kuruluş, 92 ülke. En üretken kurumlar arasında University of London (45 makale), University of California sistemi (32) ve University of Toronto (32) yer aldı.
Ülke dağılımı: ABD (417, %22.8), Birleşik Krallık (315, %17.2), Kanada (139, %7.6), Türkiye (76, %4.1), Avustralya (108, %5.7) önemli katkı verenler arasında.
Konu dağılımı: Otizm ve gelişimsel bozukluklar baskın (882 makale; ~48%). Öne çıkan araştırma alanları: rehabilitasyon, pediatri, eğitim araştırmaları, psikoloji.
Yayın eğilimleri ve atıflar: Yayın sayısının zirvesi 2020 (110 makale); en fazla atıf 2021’de gerçekleşmiş. Toplam atıf sayısı 34.941; makale başına ortalama 19.08 atıf.
Açık erişim ve finansman: 599 yayın (%32.7) “tam açık erişimli” sınıflandırması altında. Önemli fon sağlayıcılar arasında ABD HHS (70 kayıt, %3.82) ve NIH (55 kayıt, %3.00) öne çıktı.
Temalar: Ebeveyn stresi, sosyal destek, tıbbi/psikososyal boyutlar, kapsayıcı eğitim ve yaşam kalitesi sık tekrar eden temalar.
Veri/kalite önlemleri: İsim normalizasyonu, eşanlamlı terimler için thesaurus kullanımı, yalnızca özgün makalelerin dahil edilmesi; yalnızca İngilizce yayınlar analiz edildi (bellekçi seçim).

Data & Methods

Kaynak: Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC); tam kayıt ve atıf listesi kullanıldı.
Zaman aralığı: 1 Jan 1990 – 31 Dec 2023 (veri indirme/temizlik 2023 yazında gerçekleştirildi; metinde Haziran/ Eylül 2023 tarihlerine referans var).
Arama stratejisi: Başlık/özet/yazar anahtar kelimeleri/KeyWords Plus içinde “parent OR family” AND “special need” OR “special need AND child” türü terimler kullanıldı; yalnızca orijinal araştırma makaleleri, İngilizce dilinde.
Yazılımlar ve işlemler: Microsoft Excel 2019 ile veri standardizasyonu; VOSviewer (v1.6.19) ile görselleştirme, ortak yazarlık/kurum/kaynak haritaları; manuel isim normalizasyonu ve thesaurus_terms.txt ile eşanlamlı temizliği.
Analiz kapsamı: belge türü, yıllara göre yayın/atıf trendleri, ülke/kurum/yazar üretkenliği, konu/anahtar kelime kümelemeleri, açık erişim modeli dağılımı, fon sağlayıcı analizleri.

Implications for AI Economics

Talep ve pazar göstergesi: Bibliyometrik eğilimler, özel gereksinimli çocuk ve ebeveyn bakımına yönelik artan akademik ilgiyi gösterir; bu, bakım desteği, izleme ve eğitim amaçlı AI tabanlı ürünler için büyüyen bir talep ve pazar potansiyeline işaret eder.
Veri ve model geliştirme: Alanın çok sayıda disiplin ve kurumda üretim göstermesi (ve belirgin İngilizce/batı ağırlığı) veri çeşitliliği ve örtüşen veri kaynakları sağlar; fakat dil ve coğrafi önyargılar, AI modellerinin adil ve genellenebilir olmasını zorlayabilir—daha kapsayıcı veri toplama gereklidir.
Politik ve finansal hedefleme: Büyük fon sağlayıcıların (HHS, NIH, ESRC vb.) alana katkısı, AI destekli müdahalelerin kamu-finansmanlı pilotlarına ve maliyet-etkinlik değerlendirmelerine kaynak sağlayabilir; AI ekonomisine ilişkin yatırım-beklenti analizleri için faydalı sinyaller sunar.
İşgücü ve ekonomik etkiler: Ebeveyn bakım yükünü azaltacak AI (otomasyon, destek araçları, teşhis/izleme asistanları) politikaları, aile işgücüne katılımı ve bakım piyasasını etkileyebilir; bu etkilerin ekonomik değerlendirmesi (maliyet-fayda, işgücü arzı) için literatürdeki bulgular referans olarak kullanılabilir.
Araştırma ve yöntemsel fırsatlar: VOSviewer ve bibliyometrik yaklaşımlar, AI ekonomi literatüründe araştırma önceliklerini, fon akışlarını ve disiplinlerarası köprüleri tespit etmek için uygulanabilir; ayrıca AI destekli metin madenciliği, konu modelleme ve atıf ağ analizi ile daha derin gösterge setleri geliştirilebilir.
Etik ve düzenleyici boyutlar: Ebeveyn ve özel gereksinimli bireyleri hedefleyen AI çözümlerinde mahremiyet, güvenlik, erişilebilirlik ve eşitlik kritik—ekonomik modeller bu dışsallıkları ve düzenleme maliyetlerini hesaba katmalıdır.

Kısa not: Makale bibliyometrik bir haritalama çalışmasıdır; doğrudan ekonomik analiz sunmaz. Ancak bulgular, AI tabanlı ürün/hizmet geliştirme, finansman-stratejileri ve politika-değerlendirme çalışmalarına veri temelli yönlendirmeler sağlar.

Assessment

Paper Typedescriptive Evidence Strengthn/a — This is a bibliometric, descriptive study that maps publication patterns and themes; it does not attempt causal inference or measure economic outcomes, so traditional evidence-strength ratings for causal claims are not applicable. Methods Rigormedium — The authors use a standard bibliometric workflow (WoS Core Collection, explicit search terms, time window 1990–2023, data cleaning, manual disambiguation, VOSviewer visualisations), which is appropriate and transparent; however, the study is limited by single-database reliance (WoSCC), an English-language filter, exclusion of non-article document types, potential biases in keyword choice, and typical WoS coverage biases toward Western journals, which reduce comprehensiveness. SampleBibliographic dataset drawn from Web of Science Core Collection (search performed 01 Sep 2023) using title/abstract/author keywords for parents/family AND special needs/children, initially 2,109 records reduced to 1,831 original research articles published 1990–31 Dec 2023; these articles involve 5,109 authors, 2,001 institutions across 92 countries; analyses used Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer (v1.6.19) with manual normalization/thesaurus and reported counts of citations, journal indexes, subject-area distributions and collaboration networks. Themesinequality adoption GeneralizabilityRestricted to Web of Science Core Collection (excludes Scopus, PubMed-only journals, ERIC, regional databases) which biases coverage toward certain journals and languages, Authors ultimately limited analysis to English-language journal publications despite broader-language possibilities, reducing representativeness of non-English research, Only original articles included (reviews, book chapters, conference proceedings excluded), so some influential work is omitted, Search term choices and keyword matching may miss relevant studies that use different terminology for special needs/parents, Data snapshot taken Sep 1, 2023; subsequent publications or WoS updates (especially 2023 counts) will alter totals, WoS indexing and citation practices favor certain disciplines and countries (e.g., US/UK), inflating apparent leadership

Claims (15)

Claim	Direction	Confidence	Outcome	Details
The bibliometric analysis is based on 1 January 1990 to 31 December 2023 Web of Science Core Collection records and, after filtering, included 1,831 research articles. Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 0.3
The initial WoSCC search returned 2,109 records on parents of children with special needs before filtering to articles. Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=2109 0.3
The 1,831 articles were authored by 5,109 authors affiliated with 2,001 institutions across 92 countries. Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 5109 authors; 2001 institutions; 92 countries 0.3
The University of London was the most productive institution with 45 articles; the University of California system and the University of Toronto each published 32 articles; University College London and Udice French Research Universities each published 29 articles; Oxford University published 22; Göteborg and York Universities 20 each; Newcastle and McMaster 19 each. Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 London Univ: 45; UC system: 32; Toronto: 32; UCL: 29; Udice: 29; Oxford: 22; Göteborg: 20; York: 20; Newcastle: 19; McMaster: 19 0.3
By country, the United States contributed 417 articles (22.77%), the United Kingdom 315 (17.20%), Canada 139 (7.59%), Australia 108 (5.70%), and Turkey 76 (4.11%). Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 USA: 417 (22.77%); UK: 315 (17.20%); Canada: 139 (7.59%); Australia: 108 (5.70%); Turkey: 76 (4.11%) 0.3
Total citations recorded for the dataset were 34,941, of which 33,077 were classified as self-citations; the mean citations per article was 19.08. Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 34,941 total citations; 33,077 self-citations; mean = 19.08 citations/article 0.18
Publication output increased notably from the 2000s and peaked in 2020 with 110 articles; the highest number of citations occurred in 2021. Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 2020: 110 articles; peak citations in 2021 0.3
Open access status breakdown: 599 articles (32.71%) classified as All Open Access; 279 Gold (15.24%); 72 Gold-Hybrid (3.93%); 83 Free to read (4.53%); 241 Green Published (13.16%); 114 Green Accepted (6.23%); 136 Green Submitted (7.43%). Adoption Rate	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 All OA: 599 (32.71%); Gold: 279 (15.24%); Gold-Hybrid: 72 (3.93%); Free to read: 83 (4.53%); Green Published: 241 (13.16%); Green Accepted: 114 (6.23%); Green Submitted: 136 (7.43%) 0.3
Distribution across WoS indices: SSCI accounted for 1,173 publications (~64.06%); SCI-Expanded accounted for 673 publications (~36.76%); ESCI included 415 articles (~22.67%); other indices contributed between 0.22% and 1.37%. Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 SSCI: 1173 (64.06%); SCI-EXP: 673 (36.76%); ESCI: 415 (22.67%); others 0.22–1.37% 0.3
The most frequent research topic (Meso category) was autism and developmental disorders with 882 articles (~48.17%). Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 882 articles (48.17%) 0.3
Other topic counts reported included gait and posture 117 (6.39%); psychology & psychiatry 101 (5.52%); palliative care 94 (5.13%); dentistry & oral medicine 45 (2.46%); humanities geography 31 (1.69%); obstetrics & gynecology 33 (1.80%); linguistics 26 (1.42%); education research 25 (1.37%); gender & sexuality studies 21 (1.15%). Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 Gait & posture: 117 (6.39%); Psych & psychiatry: 101 (5.52%); Palliative care: 94 (5.13%); Dentistry: 45 (2.46%); Human geography: 31 (1.69%); Obstetrics: 33 (1.80%); Linguistics: 26 (1.42%); Education research: 25 (1.37%); Gender & sexuality studies: 21 (1.15%) 0.3
Rehabilitation was the most common research area with 336 publications (~18.35%), followed by Pediatrics (reported as 1,387 publications in the text). Research Productivity	null_result	medium	research_productivity	n=1831 Rehabilitation: 336 (18.35%); Pediatrics: 1,387 (as reported) 0.11
Main funding bodies included U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (70 records, 3.82%), U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) (55 records, 3.00%), and UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (23 records). Research Productivity	null_result	high	research_productivity	n=1831 HHS: 70 (3.82%); NIH: 55 (3.00%); ESRC: 23 0.3
The bibliometric analyses and visualizations were produced using Microsoft Excel 2019 and VOSviewer v1.6.19, applying co-authorship and co-organization metrics. Other	null_result	high	other	0.3
Only English-language journal articles were included in the analysis (non-article document types excluded). Other	null_result	high	other	0.3

Research on parents of children with special needs has boomed since 2000: 1,831 WoS-indexed articles (1990–2023) show US, UK and Canadian institutions leading the field, with autism/developmental disorders and caregiver stress dominating the literature.