Can an AI chatbot ease the stress of parenting a child with autism or ADHD?
NCT ID NCT06779422
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers test whether an AI chatbot called Pai.ACT can help parents of young children with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD. The chatbot delivers acceptance and commitment therapy, a type of talk therapy, and adapts its exercises to each parent's needs. The trial compares Pai.ACT with standard positive parenting advice in 210 Cantonese-speaking parents in Hong Kong. The main goals are to see if it reduces parenting stress and improves children's emotional and behavioural symptoms over 12 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Pai.ACT, an AI chatbot that delivers acceptance and commitment therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a scalable, personalised mental health tool for parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, potentially reducing stress and improving child behaviour without needing in-person therapy sessions.
- What could go wrong
- This is a behavioural intervention trial, not a drug, and results may not generalise beyond Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong parents. The chatbot's effectiveness depends on engagement, and some parents may not find it helpful or may prefer human therapists.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 210 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Primary caregivers who are Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong residents. * Parents aged ≥21 years. * Primary caregivers who adopt the responsibility of taking care of the child. * Living together with the child and having smartphone devices for daily access to the internet. * Parent's children should be with following criteria: i) Aged 2-6 years. ii) Received a primary and clinical diagnosis/suspected diagnosis of NDD as indicated in the clinical records according to the DSM-5 criteria. (e.g., ASD, ADHD, developmental delay) iii) Registered for Social Welfare Department subvented Onsite Pre-school Rehabilitation Services. Exclusion Criteria: * Parents diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. * Parents with learning, cognitive, language, communication impairments or other debilitating conditions. (e.g., hearing or vision impairment) that could impede full participation in the study) * Parents currently participating in /under the evaluation of other psychosocial, psychoeducation or parenting programmes.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Chinese University of Hong Kong
RECRUITINGHong Kong, Hong Kong
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