Paper presentation at an international conference at the Department of Education, University of Calcutta.

1. Mapping the Research Landscape of Assistive
Technology in Inclusive Education: A
Bibliomatric Analysis
Swarup Adhikary
Research Scholar, Department of Education, Jadavpur University
Dr. Lalit Lalitav Mohakud
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Jadavpur University
Sharif Khan
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Jadavpur University

2. Introduction
• Students with disabilities have several challenges in the field of
education that limit their ability to learn and perform well in various
classroom activities (Fernández-Batanero et al., 2022).
• All the tools and methods they have adopted to solve their challenges
and improve their quality of life are called assistive technology (AT)
(Bolte et al., 2010).
• It is essential to investigate every aspect of inclusive educational
environments, including how AT can meet the needs of students with
disabilities in the inclusive classroom.
• Inclusive Education (IE) is the concept that all students, irrespective of
ability or limitations, should attend regular educational programs in
the neighbourhood schools and receive education and support as
needed (Grönlund& Larsson, 2010).
• Assistive Technology is defined as "any kind of item, devices or system,
whether gained commercially, modified, or customized, that is
frequently utilized to increase, maintain, or improve the functional
capabilities of individuals with disabilities" in the United States under
the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.

3. Literature Review and Rationale
• Cinquin et al. (2019) and Dogan and Delialioglu (2020) conducted
systematic review on using technology in the education of students
with learning difficulties.
• Pasarelu et al. (2020) investigated meta-analysis on the use of mobile
apps in education for students with attention-deficit.
• Denizli-Gulboy et al. (2021) conducted meta-analysis on augmented
reality for people with autism spectrum disorder.
• Edyburn (2004) examined the trends in special education technology.
• İnci and Köse (2023) conducted bibliometric studies of technology in
special education.
• Sinha et al. (2023) conducted bibliometric studies on the Journal of
Special Educational Technology (JOSET) over 25 years.
• Litereture review indicates that a more comprehensive understanding
of the research trends on assistive technology in inclusive education
can be obtained through bibliometric analysis.

4. Research Questions
1. What is the trend of research on assistive technology in
inclusive education?
2. What are the leading and influential Institutions, Sources, and
Articles contributing to this field?
3. What are the most active authors and distribution of co-
authorship by country?
4. What is the pattern of distribution of the author’s keywords?
5. What are the major potential themes derived from the
research on assistive technology in inclusive education?

5. Methodology
Research
Method
Bibliometric Analysis
Selection Keywords Database
Assistive technology, Adaptive technology, Assistive device,
Adaptive equipment, Inclusive technology, Augmentative
and alternative communication, Supportive device
AND
Inclusive education, Inclusive class, Learning disability,
Learning difficulty, Learning impairment, Special education
Scopus
Search
String
("Assistive technolog*" OR "Adaptive technolog*" OR "Assistive devic*"
OR "Adaptive equipment" OR "Inclusive technolog*" OR "Augmentative
and alternative communication" OR "Supportive devic*" AND "Inclusive
education" OR "Inclusive class" OR "Learning disability" OR "Learning
difficulty" OR "Learning impairment" OR "Special education")

6. Inclusion Criteria
Publication Year 2000-2023
Subject Area Social Science, Psychology, Arts
And Humanities, And
Multidisciplinary
Documents Type Article, Conference Paper, Review
Papers and Book Chapters
Language English

7. Data Collection Process

8. Data Analysis
Analyses • Frequencies
• Citation
• Co-authorship
• Co-occeurrence
• Bibliographic Coupling
Analysis
Tools
VOSviewer
Software
version 1.6.20
Scopus Analysis
Results
Microsoft Excel
2021
Out Come • Bibliometric
analysis
• Mapping
(Network)
• Publication
years
• Subjects area
• Affiliated
Institutions
• Tabulation of
the Data
• Create
Graphical
Representation

9. Results
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
11 13
8
17 16
13
21
35
27 29 30
39
43
47
55
44
56
59
64
72
79
107 107
115
Publication Year

10. Distribution of Subject Area

11. Distribution of Countries
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
504
110
54 46 44 29 26 25 25 23 21 18 18 17 15
TOP 15 COUNTRIS

12. Most Leading Institutions
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho
Purdue University
Universidade Federal de São Carlos
King Saud University
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Michigan State University
Vanderbilt University
The University of Texas at Austin
George Mason University
Pennsylvania State University
Illinois State University
9
9
9
10
10
11
11
12
13
13
17
18
Top 12 Leading Institutions

13. Most Leading and Influential Source
SL/No. Source (Journal) Documents Citations
1 Journal of Special Education Technology 53 763
2 RevistaBrasileira De Educacao Especial 22 54
3 Research in Developmental Disabilities 21 620
4 American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 19 212
5 Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, Fie 18 69
6 Language, Speech, And Hearing Services in Schools 17 266
7 Assistive Technologies: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, And
Applications
13 88
8 Education and Information Technologies 12 166
9 European Journal of Special Needs Education 11 179
10 International Journal of Special Education 11 173
11 Communication Disorders Quarterly 10 100
12 Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention 10 27
13 International Journal of Inclusive Education 10 155

14. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
communication disorders quarterly
evidence-based communication assessment and intervention
international journal of inclusive education
european journal of special needs education
international journal of special education
education and information technologies
assistive technologies: concepts, methodologies, tools, and…
language, speech, and hearing services in schools
proceedings - frontiers in education conference, fie
american journal of speech-language pathology
research in developmental disabilities
revista brasileira de educacao especial
journal of special education technology
10
10
10
11
11
12
13
17
18
19
21
22
53
Top 13 Leading and Influential Sources

15. Most Leading and Influential Articles
Authors
(Year)
Title Source Citation
Hess et al.
(2008)
Autism Treatment Survey: Services Received by Children with Autism Spectrum
Disorders in Public School Classrooms
Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders
235
Robins et al.
(2004)
Robot-Mediated Joint Attention in Children with Autism: A Case Study in Robot-
Human Interaction
Interaction Studies 217
Robinson et
al. (2009)
Keeping in Touch Everyday (KITE) Project: Developing Assistive Technologies with
People with Dementia and Their Carers to Promote Independence
International
Psychogeriatrics
194
Blaschke et
al. (2009)
Ageing and Technology: a Review of the Research Literature British Journal of Social
Work
180
Hasselbring
et al. (2000)
Use the Computer Technology to Help Students with Special Needs Future of Children 167
Daynard et
al. (2001)
Biomechanical Analysis of Peak and Cumulative Spinal Loads During Simulated
Patient-Handling Activities: a Substudy of a Randomized Controlled Trial to Prevent
Lift and Transfer Injury of Health Care Workers
Applied Ergonomics 161
Foley et al.
(2012)
Technology for People, Not Disabilities: Ensuring Access and Inclusion Journal of Research in
Special Educational Needs
149
Stock et al.
(2007)
Adaptive, Intelligent Presentation of Information for the Museum Visitor in PEACH User Modeling and User-
Adapted Interaction
147
Chung et al.
(2012)
Social Interactions of Students with Disabilities Who Use Augmentative and
Alternative Communication in Inclusive Classrooms
American Journal on
Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities
104
Burke et al.
(2010)
Evaluation of Two Instruction Methods to Increase Employment Options for Young
Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Research in
Developmental Disabilities
98

16. Most Active Author
SL/No. Author Documents Citations
1 Bouck, Emily C. 9 127
2 Poobrasert, Onintra 7 21
3 Balandin, Susan 6 96
4 Biggs, Elizabeth E. 6 61
5 Parette, Howard P. 6 71
6 Edyburn, Dave L. 5 84
7 Sigafoos, Jeff 5 193
8 Soto, Gloria 5 114
9 Chung, Yun-Ching 4 139
10 Courtad, Carrie Anna 4 26
11 Donne, Vicki 4 25
12 Harding, Celia 4 58
13 Jeffs, Tara 4 48
14 Keshav, Neha U. 4 120
15 Lancioni, Giulio E. 4 169
16 Light, Janice 4 127
17 Mcnaughton, David 4 73
18 Satsangi, Rajiv 4 81
19 Seale, Jane 4 172
20 Vahabzadeh, Arshya 4 120
0 2 4 6 8 10
Seale, Jane
Lancioni, Giulio E.
Chung, Yun-ching
Light, Janice
Keshav, Neha U.
Vahabzadeh, Arshya
Satsangi, Rajiv
Mcnaughton, David
Harding, Celia
Jeffs, Tara
Courtad, Carrie Anna
Donne, Vicki
Sigafoos, Jeff
Soto, Gloria
Edyburn, Dave L.
Balandin, Susan
Parette, Howard P.
Biggs, Elizabeth E.
Poobrasert, Onintra
Bouck, Emily C.
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
6
6
6
7
9
Top 20 Leading Authors

17. Co-Authorship of Countries

18. Co-Occurrence of Author Keywords

19. Top 35 Co-Occurrence of Authors Keywords and Thematic Clusters
Cluster Major Themes Author’s Keyword Occurrences Total Link Strength
Claster-1 Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC) in
Inclusive Education for Children
with Autism and Intellectual
Disabilities
Augmentative and Alternative Communication 73 59
Inclusive Education 53 79
Inclusion 31 62
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) 24 19
Autism 22 29
Children 16 32
Communication 16 23
Intellectual Disability 16 17
Learning 14 18
Intervention 13 25
AAC 12 12
Claster-2 Assistive Technologies and
Universal Design for Students
with Learning Disabilities in E-
Learning and Higher Education
Assistive Technologies 58 61
Accessibility 53 107
Education 41 58
Higher Education 29 52
Disabilities 22 41
Universal Design 19 34
Dyslexia 15 22
Students with Disabilities 15 21
E-Learning 13 17
Claster-3 Technology Enabled Teaching:
Enhancing Teacher Education for
Inclusive Classrooms
Special Education 90 154
Technology 38 68
Cerebral Palsy 22 31
Professional Development 13 24
Teacher Education 10 19
Assistive Technology 288 294
Claster-4 Educational Technology and
Universal Design for Learning
Disabilities and Visual
Impairment
Learning Disabilities 25 36
Visual Impairment 24 42
Educational Technology 17 25
Blind 11 26
Universal Design for Learning 11 26
Adaptive Technology 10 11
Claster-5 Inclusive Assessment Practices
for People with Disabilities
Disability 64 94
Assessment 13 25
People with Disabilities 11 11

20. Bibliographic Coupling with 47 Documents

21. Most Prominent Thematic Clusters
Cluster Potential Theme Number of Articles Total citation Reference
Cluster-1 Online Accessibility of Assistive
Technology for children Disabilities and
their Teachers
6 463 Hasselbring & Glaser (2000)
Ritchie & Blanck (2003)
Gronseth et al. (2010)
McDuffie et al. (2016)
MacArthur et al. (2000)
Ranger & Mantzavinou (2018)
Cluster-2 Communication Strategies for Children
with Disabilities in School Settings
6 637 Hess et al. (2008)
Chung et al. (2012)
Alquraini & Gut (2012)
van der Meer et al. (2012)
Binger & Light (2006)
Calculator (2009)
Cluster-3 Assistive Technologies (AT) and
Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC) for Dementia
and Aging Population
5 541 Robinson et al. (2009)
Blaschke et al. (2009)
Hodge (2007)
Martin et al. (2020)
Clarke et al. (2001)
Cluster-4 Teachers Preparation and Employment
Options for Children with Disabilities
4 265 Burke et al. (2020)
Brodwin et al. (2004)
Van Laarhoven et al. (2007)
Barton et al. (2017)
Cluster-5 Assistive Technology for Learning
Disabilities in Higher Education
4 318 Perelmutter et al. (2017)
Seale (2015)
Pino & Mortari (2014)
Humphries et al. (2014)
Cluster-6 Robot-Human Interaction and Digital
Disability for children with special
needs
2 278 Robins et al. (2004)
Goggin & Newell (2007)

22. Summary of the Major Findings
Analysis Findings
Most productive year 2023
The most common subject area Social Science
Leading countries United States
Most leading Institutions Illinois State University
Most Leading and Influential Source Journal of Special Education Technology
Most Influential article Hess et al.'s (2008) “Autism Treatment Survey: Services
Received by Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Public
School Classrooms”
Most leading Author Highest documents: Bouck, Emily C.
Highest citation: Sigafoos, Jeff
Co-authorship and Bibliographic coupling of
Countries
USA, UK, Australia
The most frequently used keyword Assistive technology
The most comprehensive and most
extensive prominent theme based on
keywords
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
in Inclusive Education for Children with Autism and
Intellectual Disabilities
The most comprehensive and most
prominent theme based on articles
Accessibility of Assistive Technology for children
Disabilities and their Teachers

23. Conclusion
• This study's findings are limited to the Scopus database that used selected
keywords. we could not identify all possible keywords by reviewing the literature
on assistive technology in inclusive education .
• This bibliometric study provides an overview of assistive technology in inclusive
education. This analysis contributes to the body of knowledge by presenting the
results of an investigation into scholarly networks and worldwide research trends on
assistive technology in inclusive education from 2000 to 2023.
• This study examined assistive technology in inclusive education without limiting it
to any particular disability or technology.
• This study can serve as a starting point for further analysis of systematic review,
meta-synthesis, meta-analysis, and the combination of systematic review and
bibliometric analysis.

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