Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2026
Effectiveness of Dialogic Reading Versus Typical Reading on Emotional Regulation of Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in China: A Comparison of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Social Worker-Led Training
Purpose: To explore the impact of parent–child dialogic reading (DR) versus typical reading (TR) and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted DR training on emotional regulation (ER) of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from low-to-middle-income families. Methods: This study recruited 249 children with ADHD from China and randomly assigned them to four groups: AI-DR, social worker-led DR, TR, and a control group. The intervention lasted 4 weeks, with pretests and posttests administered to assess ER via the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale and the coding of parent–child reading audio-recordings. Results: Parent–child storybook reading significantly improved ER in children with ADHD. In particular, the DR group had better ER development than the TR group. Furthermore, AI chatbots were equally effective as professional social workers in training parents on DR techniques. Conclusions: Parent–child storybook reading and AI-assisted training offer scalable, cost-effective strategies for ER interventions targeting children with ADHD.
AchtypiA.GuldbergK. K.PapoudiD. (2023). Using iPads for the social communication and emotional regulation of autistic pupils: An exploration of key stakeholders’ perspectives and practices. British Journal of Special Education, 50(2), 238–257. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12456
2.
AlachaH. F.LeflerE. K.BufferdS. J. (2024). Important mechanisms in the development of anxiety in children with ADHD: The role of associated features of ADHD and interpersonal functioning. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-024-01796-x
3.
AstenvaldR.IsakssonM.MeyerJ.LööfM.FrickM. A.IsakssonJ. (2025). Emotion regulation training for adolescents with ADHD: A multiple-baseline single-case experimental study. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2025.2537812
4.
BronfenbrennerU. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
5.
BronfenbrennerU.MorrisP. A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In LernerR. M.DamonW. (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development (6th ed., pp. 793–828). John Wiley & Sons.
6.
ChengX.YinL.LinC.ShiZ.ZhengH.ZhuL.LiuX.DongR. (2024). Chatbot dialogic reading boosts comprehension for Chinese kindergarteners with higher language skills. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 240, 105842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105842
7.
ChowB. W. Y.LiuH.ShiS. Y. (2025). Reading and discussing stories together: Does dialogic reading enhance children’s language development? In Home literacy environment and literacy acquisition: Evidence from different languages and contexts (pp. 331–348). Springer Nature Switzerland.
8.
ChowB. W. Y.HuiA. N. N.LiZ.DongY. (2023). Dialogic teaching in English-as-a-second-language classroom: Its effects on first graders with different levels of vocabulary knowledge. Language Teaching Research, 27(6), 1408–1430. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820981399
9.
ÇirayR. O.ÖzyurtG.TuranS.KaragözE.ErmişÇÖztürkY.AkayA. (2022). The association between pragmatic language impairment, social cognition and emotion regulation skills in adolescents with ADHD. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 76(2), 89–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2021.1938211
10.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Erlbaum.
11.
CueliM.MartínN.CañameroL. M.RodríguezC.González-CastroP. (2024). The impact of children’s and parents’ perceptions of parenting styles on attention, hyperactivity, anxiety, and emotional regulation. Children, 11(3), 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11030313
12.
DentonC. A.TammL.SchatschneiderC.EpsteinJ. N. (2020). The effects of ADHD treatment and reading intervention on the fluency and comprehension of children with ADHD and word reading difficulties: A randomized clinical trial. Scientific Studies of Reading, 24(1), 72–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2019.1640704
13.
DongY.ChowB. W. Y.MoJ.ZhengH. (2025). Does shared reading with AI chatbot promote language development in kindergarteners with ADHD. Language and Education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2025.2560492
14.
DongY.ChowB. W. Y.MoJ.ZhengH. Y. (2023). Dialogic reading with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) kindergarteners: Does reading with parents or siblings enhance their language development?Developmental Psychology, 59(5), 862–873. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001466
15.
DongY.ChowB. W. Y.XiaG.MoJ.DongH. (2025). Contribution of topic background knowledge to language learning outcomes through parent–child dialogic reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1), e608. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.608
16.
DongY.MoJ.GongB.JinR.ZhengH.ChowB. W. Y. (2025). Effects of using prompts during parent–child shared reading on the language development of mildly autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06712-9
17.
EpsteinM. H.SynhorstL. (2008). Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (PreBERS): Test–retest reliability and inter-rater reliability. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 17(6), 853–862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-008-9194-1
18.
FriedmanL. M.DvorskyM. R.McBurnettK.PfiffnerL. J. (2020). Do parents’ ADHD symptoms affect treatment for their children? The impact of parental ADHD on adherence to behavioral parent training for childhood ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 48(11), 1425–1437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00672-1
19.
GrovesN. B.WellsE. L.SotoE. F.MarshC. L.JaisleE. M.HarveyT. K.KoflerM. J. (2022). Executive functioning and emotion regulation in children with and without ADHD. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 50(6), 721–735. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-021-00883-0
20.
HargraveA. C.SénéchalM. (2000). A book reading intervention with preschool children who have limited vocabularies: The benefits of regular reading and dialogic reading. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15(1), 75–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(99)00038-1
21.
HatherlyK.MoodieS. T.DaubO.EarleC.CunninghamB. J. (2025). Exploring parent–child interactions during a parent-implemented language intervention for children who are late-to-talk. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 41(1), 30–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/02656590251314720
22.
HeG. H.LiuL.StrodlE.RuanZ. L.JiangH.JingJ.JinY.ChenW. Q. (2019). Parental type D personality and children’s hyperactive behaviors: The mediating role of parent–child interactive activities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(7), 1116. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071116
23.
HuaM. Z.ZhouR. L. (2012). Application of the preschool behavior and emotion scale in Chinese preschool children. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 20(3), 320–324. (in Chinese)
24.
JaisleE. M.GrovesN. B.BlackK. E.KoflerM. J. (2023). Linking ADHD and ASD symptomatology with social impairment: The role of emotion dysregulation. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 51(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-00982-6
25.
JongA.OdoiC. M.LauJ.J. HollocksM. (2024). Loneliness in young people with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Attention Disorders, 28(7), 1063–1081. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547241229096
26.
LewandK. (2018). Sociocultural theory and instructional practice: Promoting positive self-regulation skills in informal learning settings [Doctoral dissertation]. California State University.
27.
LudlowA. K.ChadwickE.MoreyA.EdwardsR.GutierrezR. (2017). An exploration of sarcasm detection in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Communication Disorders, 70, 25–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2017.10.003
28.
MontesG.MontesS. A. (2021). Parental involvement of parents of children with ADHD: A first population study. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(10), 1497–1505. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054720911099
29.
NiuW.ChengL.XuW.ZhangQ.ZhangX. (2021). Improving resilience of a child with ADHD: A context specific intervention program through dialogic and guided reading. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 68(6), 788–805. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2021.1929085
30.
ParksK. M.CardyJ. E. O.WoynaroskiT. G.SehlC. G.StevensonR. A. (2021). Investigating the role of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity in language and social functioning using a dimensional approach. Journal of Communication Disorders, 89, 106036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.106036
31.
ParksK. M.MoreauC. N.HannahK. E.BraininL.JoanisseM. F. (2022). The task matters: A scoping review on reading comprehension abilities in ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 26(10), 1304–1324. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547211068047
32.
RappC. A.GoschaR. J. (2012). The strengths model: A recovery-oriented approach to mental health services (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
33.
RavenJ. C.CourtJ. H.RavenJ. (1996). Standard progressive matrices. Oxford Psychologists Press.
34.
RobbinsS. P.ChatterjeeP.CandaE. R.LeibowitzG. S. (2021). Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work (4th ed.). Pearson.
35.
ShellebyE. C.OggJ. (2020). Longitudinal relationships between parent involvement, parental warmth, ADHD symptoms, and reading achievement. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(5), 737–749. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054719859075
36.
UribeS. E.MaldupaI.KavadellaA.El TantawiM.ChaurasiaA.FontanaM.MarinoR.InnesN.SchwendickeF. (2024). Artificial intelligence chatbots and large language models in dental education: Worldwide survey of educators. European Journal of Dental Education, 28(4), 865–876.
37.
XiaoF.ZouE. W.LinJ.LiZ.YangD. (2025). Parent-led vs. AI-guided dialogic reading: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in children's e-book context. British Journal of Educational Technology, 56(5), 1784–1813. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13615
38.
XuR.DongY.XiaG.MoJ.ChowB. W. Y.ZhengH. Y.TangY. (2024). Exploring the effect of dialogic reading on children with autism spectrum disorder: Do siblings promote their language development?Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 94, 101701.
39.
YangD.GeY.SunY.CollinsP.JaeggiS. M.XuY.SheaZ. M.WarschauerM. (2024). Self-regulation and comprehension in shared reading: The moderating effects of verbal interactions and e-book discussion prompts. Child Development, 95(6), 1934–1949. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14128
40.
YuanC.DongY.JinR.MoJ.ZhengH. (2025). Shared book reading with AI chatbots: Comparison of the effects of instructional style on children’s language abilities between typical and poor readers. Language and Education, 1–22. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09500782.2025.2501081
