As a teenager at boarding school in China, Xiaopeng Ji remembers lying awake in her bed at night, staring at the ceiling for hours after lights out at 9 p.m. 

“I wasn’t a good sleeper, and I always thought it was all my fault,” she recalled.

Years later, during her doctoral studies, Ji learned she wasn’t alone. Irregular sleep patterns are a hallmark of adolescence. Teens wake up early for school on weekdays and stay up late studying or socializing. On weekends, they sleep in. These irregularities affect their circadian rhythm, which in turn impacts their physical and mental health. But it’s not just behavioral habits — it’s biology. During adolescence, the body’s internal clock shifts, making it harder to fall asleep early.

“Many teens are sleep deprived, and their poor sleep quality affects their daytime function,” Ji said.

Her personal experience inspired Ji, an associate professor of nursing at the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences, to help teens, particularly those with autism, who are disproportionately affected, get better sleep.

“Up to 80% of autistic teens have sleep issues,” she explained. “These problems can impact mood and cognitive function and exacerbate the negative and repetitive behaviors associated with autism.”  

To address the problem, Ji has designed a mobile app featuring a sleep chatbot that utilizes artificial intelligence to deploy sleep coaching for teens with autism, aged 14 to 17. The chatbot mimics human conversation, serving as a fun and interactive intervention. 

“The digital platform allows autistic teens to process the information at their own pace,” Ji said. “It also reduces social anxiety by eliminating the need for in-person interaction.” 

Ji is collaborating with co-investigators Lauren Covington, assistant professor of nursing, and Drs. Seema Rani and Abigail Strang, both pediatric pulmonologists at Nemours Children’s Health. Consultants Sarah Mallory, assistant professor with a joint appointment in the School of Education and the Center for Disabilities Studies, as well as Colonial School District nurse Heidi Hildick and Cape Henlopen School District nurse Stuart Mary, and autistic adult scholars also provided vital input. The project builds on Ji’s past research, in which she developed a similar app for neurotypical young adults.

Her work is supported by the Maggie E. Neumann Health Sciences Research Fund, which has been instrumental in advancing Ji’s work to benefit this vulnerable population. 

“The Neumann funding allowed us to create a prototype and collect pilot data to gauge its feasibility and preliminary efficacy,” Ji said. “This will help us secure more funding to continue this important research.” 

How does it work?

The sleep chatbot uses cognitive behavioral therapy — an established intervention for insomnia — as its guiding principle. It teaches teens and their parents about essential sleep regulation, sleep hygiene and stimulus control techniques. The chatbot also tracks sleep to help families identify unhealthy sleep habits. It provides sleep progress reports while offering motivational support and strategies to calm racing minds, as well as relaxation skills to promote more restful and restorative sleep. 

Neumann funding also made it possible for Ji and graduate student Fatou Marong to gather input directly from teens with autism and their parents through focus groups and “Think Aloud” sessions.