Parents Can "Team Up" With Teachers and Physicians in Managing Childhood Asthma

This school year, parents can show some "team spirit" when it comes to managing their child's asthma.

"Even though asthma is a controllable condition, some parents may not have a good plan for managing their child's asthma. A plan begins with a diagnosis and an estimation of the severity of the asthma," says Dr. Kay Bartholomew, associate professor of behavioral sciences at The University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health. "For most children with persistent asthma, the key to a good plan is careful monitoring of symptoms."

An estimated 5.3 million children under age 18 suffer from asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the American Lung Association, asthma is the No. 1 cause of school absenteeism, accounting for 10 million missed school days each year.

Parents of children with asthma have some potential allies in the management of the disease. Bartholomew, who is working with the Houston Independent School District to improve the response of schools to children with asthma, says that both parents and school personnel can follow an action plan to help the child control asthma at home and at school.

"Such a plan can help prevent missed school days and decreased school activities," Bartholomew says.

Bartholomew offers these tips to parents of children with asthma:

Make sure your child's physician prescribes an individual treatment program to keep asthma under control. Talk to the physician about triggers at home and at school.

Ask the child's physician to provide a copy of the asthma action plan and medication form as well as a second prescription for school.

Talk to the school nurse, principal, teacher, and coach about your child's asthma condition. Make sure that each person knows that when parents and schools are working as a team, asthma can be controlled.

If your child's asthma episodes seem to be triggered at school, first explore possible triggers with the physician. Then you might work with the school nurse to examine your child's school environment for triggers.

Keep open communication with the school nurse and your child's physician. A child who is regularly using albuterol (relief or rescue medication) or who is having symptoms is not well controlled.

For children who experience asthma-like symptoms but have not been diagnosed with the condition, Bartholomew suggests that parents look for these warning signs:

• Coughing that won't go away
• Wheezing
• Wheezing when the child does not have an infection
• Nighttime wheezing and coughing that interrupts sleep
• Wheezing or coughing that causes the child to stop running or playing hard
• Chest tightness or pain.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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