Health Psychology Research / HPR / Volume 14 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.14440/hpr.0309
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REVIEW

Trends in The Use of Virtual Reality in Autistic Children and Adults: A Bibliometric Analysis on Web of Science

Saray Lantarón-Juárez1 ,  Diana Salas-Gómez3* ,  Ángel Denche-Zamorano2* ,  David Barbado3,4 ,  Carla Caballero3,4
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1 University School of Physiotherapy “Gimbernat Cantabria,” University of Cantabria, Torrelavega 39300, Cantabria, Spain
2 Promoting a Healthy Society Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, Caceres 10003, Extremadura, Spain
3 Department of Sport Science, Sports Research Centre, Miguel Hernández University of Elche, Elche 03202, Alicante, Spain
4 Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research, Alicante 03550, Spain
HPR 2026 , 14(1), e81240055; https://doi.org/10.14440/hpr.0309
Submitted: 20 September 2025 | Revised: 23 December 2025 | Accepted: 30 December 2025 | Published: 25 March 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). Licensee Health Psychology Research, USA. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent difficulties in social communication and interaction, alongside restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool to enhance participation and engagement in individuals with ASD.

Objective

This bibliometric study aims to map the current research landscape on the intersection between ASD and VR, identifying trends in authorship, publication, geographic distribution, thematic focus, and keyword evolution.

Methods

A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection. Classic bibliometric laws and indicators (e.g., Bradford’s, Lotka’s, and Zipf’s laws) were applied to analyze publication volume, citation impact, author productivity, and thematic clustering.

Results

A total of 398 publications were identified between 2007 and 2024, showing an exponential growth trend (R2 = 0.97). The United States led in total output. Sarkar and Warren were among the most productive authors. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering published the highest number of relevant articles. Fifty-six articles received 58 or more citations. Thematic clusters revealed emphasis on social skills training, immersive environments, and technological applications in ASD interventions.

Conclusion

Research on VR applications in ASD has increased exponentially, reflecting growing scientific and clinical interest. These findings provide a foundation for future interdisciplinary investigations and intervention development in developmental disabilities research.

Keywords
Autism spectrum disorder
Virtual reality
Social skills
Intervention
Children
Funding
The author Diana Sallas-Gómez received funding (JDC2024-054978-I) from ICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the ESF+ (European Social Fund Plus). The author A.D.-Z. received a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport (FPU20/04201), funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and, where applicable, by the European Social Fund (‘Investing in your future’) or the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR.
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Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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