Language competency in autism: a scientometric review

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Linguistics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Atypical language acquisition in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is critical for intervention and understanding typical development.
• Research in this area informs therapeutic strategies and theoretical models of language development.
• A comprehensive overview is needed to identify trends, patterns, and knowledge gaps in ASD language research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scientometric review of the research landscape on language acquisition in ASD.
• To identify key research trends, patterns, and knowledge gaps.
• To provide insights for future research and intervention development.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of Scopus, Web of Science, and Lens databases.
• Bibliometric analysis of document production by year, country, institution, and author.
• Scientometric analysis including keyword co-occurrence, burst detection, and clustering.

Main Results:

• Identified key research clusters focusing on motor skills, parental communication, cognitive processes, and genetics.
• Highlighted relationships between fine motor gestures and language, maternal gesturing, and parent training effectiveness.
• Revealed insights into core language skills, natural language input, syntactic complexity, and genetic factors in ASD.

Conclusions:

• The review identified top research clusters and their significance for understanding language acquisition in ASD.
• Findings offer valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of language development in autism spectrum disorder.
• Results provide a foundation for directing future research and developing targeted interventions for ASD language support.