Journal profile · EDUCATION, SPECIAL
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education
ISSN 0271-1214 · eISSN 1538-4845 · SAGE
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education: CAS Zone 3 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.43; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; review about 3 days (submission to first decision, publisher); acceptance rate 23% (journal website); 42 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education is published by SAGE and is in Zone 3 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Family and Disability Support Research, Early Childhood Education and Development and Behavioral and Psychological Studies, together about 43.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Developmental and Educational Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education (TECSE) focuses on information that will improve the lives of young children with special needs and their families. The practical nature of this journal helps professionals improve service delivery systems for preschool children with … | View full journal description This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION, SPECIAL
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 93, South Korea 1, Australia 1 (95 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology23.6%
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences10.9%
- Behavioral and Psychological StudiesPsychology8.7%
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentPsychology7.8%
- Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchNeuroscience6.9%
- Infant Development and Preterm CareMedicine5.4%
- Parental Involvement in EducationSocial Sciences4.7%
- Educational and Psychological AssessmentsPsychology4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.43LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.8LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.71LetPub ·
- h-index
- 96OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 779OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.49OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 20%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.11%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,506 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22 | 5 | 3 |
| 2025 | 42 | 10 | 19 |
| 2024 | 35 | 15 | 126 |
| 2023 | 28 | 9 | 128 |
| 2022 | 18 | 3 | 85 |
| 2021 | 36 | 5 | 578 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 0271-1214
- Electronic ISSN
- 1538-4845
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Topics in Early Childhood Special Education
What CAS zone is Topics in Early Childhood Special Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education is in Zone 3 of Education, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Education, Special. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.43; CiteScore 5.4, h-index 96.
How long does peer review take at Topics in Early Childhood Special Education?
The publisher reports about 3 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 23%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education based?
Of the 95 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (93), South Korea (1) and Australia (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Topics in Early Childhood Special Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Topics in Early Childhood Special Education open access, and what is the APC?
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .