A Bibliometric Study on the Social Validity of Telepractice in Autism Spectrum Disorder

The field of telepractice is generating increasing interest in recent years. In recent years, early childhood services have used resources such as support for interventions in families with children with autism spectrum disorder. Due to this situation, the social validity of such resources has emerged in this sector, receiving individual attention from academics and practitioners. However, a further deepening of such analyses is needed. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to analyze papers published in the Web of Science on social validity and telepractice in autism spectrum disorders. Bibliometric analysis allows us to discover the current state of a research field, to identify the main authors, articles, and topics, and to propose future lines of research to develop it further. Articles published between 2000 and 2021 were analyzed quantitatively, and by co-occurrence of words and authors. Subsequently, through bibliographic linking, the articles were grouped into different clusters. Five central themes were found, with social skills and the effectiveness of intervention programs being the most developed areas of research. Furthermore, studies focusing on evidence-based practices are necessary for the development of this research field. Thus, the analysis of social validity in the field of telepractice in children with autism spectrum disorders is a developing field within the early childhood sector.