Asthma and school
Asthma action plan - school; Wheezing - school; Reactive airway disease - school; Bronchial asthma - school
Children with asthma need a lot of support at school. They may need help from school staff to keep their asthma under control and to be able to do school activities.
Asthma
Asthma is a disease that causes the airways to swell and get narrow. It leads to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing....
You should give your child's school staff an asthma action plan that tells them how to take care of your child's asthma. Ask your child's doctor to write one.
The student and school staff should follow this asthma action plan. Your child should be able to take asthma medicines at school when needed.
School staff should know what things make your child's asthma worse. These are called triggers . Your child should be able to go to another location to get away from asthma triggers, if needed.
Triggers
Asthma triggers - stay away from; Asthma triggers - avoiding; Reactive airway disease - triggers; Bronchial asthma - triggers
What Should be in Your Child’s School Asthma Action Plan?
Your child's school asthma action plan should include:
- Phone numbers or email address of your child's doctor, nurse, parents, and guardians
- A brief history of your child's asthma
- Asthma symptoms to watch for
- Your child's personal best peak flow reading
- What to do to make sure your child can be as active as possible during recess and physical education class
Include a list of triggers that make your child's asthma worse, such as:
- Smells from chemicals and cleaning products
- Grass and weeds
- Smoke
- Dust
- Cockroaches
- Rooms that are moldy or damp
Provide details about your child's asthma medicines and how to take them, including:
-
Daily medicines to control your child's asthma
Daily medicines to control your child's...
Asthma - inhaled corticosteroids; Asthma - long-acting beta-agonists; Asthma - leukotriene modifiers; Asthma - cromolyn; Bronchial asthma-control dru...
-
Quick-relief medicines
to control asthma symptoms
Quick-relief medicines
Asthma - quick-relief drugs - short-acting beta-agonists; Asthma - quick-relief drugs - bronchodilators; Asthma - quick-relief drugs - oral steroids;...
Lastly, your child's doctor and parent or guardian's signatures should be on the action plan as well.
Who Should Have a Copy of Your Child's School Asthma Action Plan?
These staff should each have a copy of your child's asthma action plan:
- Your child's teacher
- School nurse
- School office
- Gym teachers and coaches
References
Jackson DJ, Lemanske RF Jr, Guilbert TW. Management of asthma in infants and children. In: Adkinson NF Jr, Bochner BS, Burks AW, et al, eds. Middleton's Allergy Principles and Practice . 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2014:chap 53.
Sveum R, Bergstrom J, Brottman G, et al. Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. Diagnosis and management of asthma. Updated July 2012. www.icsi.org/_asset/rsjvnd/Asthma-Interactive0712.pdf . Accessed April 11, 2016.
Review Date: 2/15/2016
Reviewed By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.