Your Child's Health/Health Alert



	Not long ago, children with asthma would have been kept out of sports and other activities. But children who have asthma can – and should – stay active. You can help them make the most of their school experience. Knowledge is the key. Students and school personnel can manage asthma if they know its signs, symptoms, triggers and how to treat it. In schools with asthma programs, children with asthma have fewer symptoms and make fewer hospital visits, according to studies in the Journal of School Health. Here’s how parents, children and teachers can limit problems related to asthma: Parents can work with their child’s doctor on an asthma action plan. That plan should include the medication used to treat asthma, how often it should be administered and what to do in an emergency, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). You can find an asthma action plan at the AAAAI Web site, www.aaaai.org. Parents should ask teachers and other school staff to learn about asthma triggers and to limit or avoid them if possible. Among the triggers: Chalk dust, pests, outdoor exercise in cold weather and strong odors. Teachers and coaches should find out the individual needs of a child with asthma. Then they can alter activities to include students with asthma as much as possible. That might mean moving gym class indoors in cold weather, for instance. Adults can encourage children not to see asthma as an obstacle. Tell them that many famous athletes have asthma, such as Olympic swimmer Tom Dolan. Students with asthma must have their medications on hand. Students and the appropriate school staff must know how and when to use them. “Some children need asthma medicine on an ongoing basis in order to control their symptoms; others need it only once in a while. It depends on how severe their asthma is,” says Dr. Rebecca Gruchalla, director of allergy and immunology clinical services at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. “Using an inhaler, which provides inhaled corticosteroids, and bronchodilators are the primary recommendations for managing asthma in children,” she says. “Having asthma symptoms act up at school or anywhere else is frightening for a child. But using an inhaler can control or prevent acute asthma episodes, and can prevent long-term damage to the lungs.”