Examination of Research on Developmental Delay, Identification, and Early Intervention: A Bibliometric Analysis

Early intervention has been described as a systematic and deliberate effort to encourage development by influencing environmental or experimental factors. These interventions are initiated within the first five years of life. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in studies encompassing early intervention, developmental delay, and diagnosis. However, bibliometric studies on this topic remain limited. This article aims to analyze research on early intervention, developmental delay, and diagnosis published on the Web of Science (WoS). The analysis and visualization of selected documents were conducted using VOS viewer. A bibliometric analysis of 390 academic studies published between 1991 and 2023 was performed, with one study excluded, resulting in the examination of a total of 389 articles. Most of these articles cover areas such as pediatrics, developmental psychology, and related fields. The year 2022 was identified as having the highest number of publications and citations for articles published since 1991. One of the most cited articles focuses on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder. The country with the highest number of article publications is the United States. Overall, the five most used keywords in the research are 'early intervention, developmental delay, early diagnosis, autism, and screening.