Name
The Peril and Potential of AI for Children with ADHD
Description
Artificial intelligence has rapidly become an integral part of 21st-century life, whether we choose it or not. For children with ADHD, AI already shapes what they watch on YouTube, how they learn in school, and increasingly, the technologies designed specifically to help them. Its pace of integration is rapid, and its impact on children and teens with ADHD remains uncertain.
AI is not one thing. From chatbots like ChatGPT to AI companions, recommendation engines, and educational tutors, some AI is subtle and background; some is overt and interactive. What unites them is this: children with ADHD are rarely prepared for how these tools interact with their brains. Impulsivity, dopamine dysregulation, executive-functioning struggles, and rejection sensitivity can dramatically shape engagement with AI. Often, the impact is negative.
Yet some of these same characteristics make certain AI tools uniquely beneficial. Patient, adaptive, structured AI tutors like Khanmigo structure executive skills and sidestep the frustration and negativity that traditional instruction often triggers in ADHD children.
Drawing on peer-reviewed research, Common Sense Media safety findings, and our survey of 150+ parents of neurodivergent children, this session provides concrete, ADHD-specific guidance across four AI categories: educational AI, mental health AI, AI companions, and general chatbots.
Speakers
Track
Parents & Caregivers
Date & Time
Saturday, December 5, 2026, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM