5 Ways to Help Your Child Manage Asthma at School

The number of kids who are wheezing and breathing with difficulty due to asthma is high — asthma affects about 5 million kids in the United States. Asthma in kids is also responsible for 10 million missed school days, 74,000 hospital stays, and 767,000 trips to the emergency room.

While living with asthma can certainly create some hurdles, these hurdles are far more surmountable if you’re well prepared and you follow best practices.

The experienced team at Forest Urgent Care, including Dr. Ping Wong and Dr. Waiho Lum, provides outstanding pediatric care and is using this month’s blog to cover five of these best practices to help your child thrive at school despite their asthma.

1. Get your asthma action plan set

One of the most important things you can do when you have a child with asthma is sit down with us to create an asthma action plan. This written document is something that you can make available to every teacher and administrator at school so everyone’s on the same page when it comes to your child’s asthma.

To give you an idea about what we mean by an action plan, please click here for a good example. 

Your plan provides key information about your child’s asthma that anyone can follow, which means your child will be in good hands when you’re not around.

2. Keep inhalers on hand

It’s also important to make sure that your child is equipped with resources they need should they have an asthma attack at school. This means you need to make sure that your child has a fast-acting inhaler they can use during an attack. And you know kids, so maybe place a backup inhaler somewhere in their backpack and make sure the school has one on hand.

3. Know your child’s asthma triggers

Asthma attacks are often triggered by things like:

• Cold temperatures
• Pollen
• Mold
• Viral infections, like colds and flus

So, if your child gets a cold, it might be wise to keep a closer eye on them. Or, if you know the pollen is flying, make sure that they take their medication and perhaps set limits on the amount of time they spend outside.

4. Vaccinate against respiratory infections

When a child has asthma, it’s a good idea to do what you can to prevent respiratory infections like flus, colds, and COVID-19. Please consider getting your child the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, which we offer at our clinic.

5. Get your child in on the planning

Kids like to be involved, so instead of telling them what to do about their asthma, it’s a great practice to include them in the planning and preparation. If they feel like they’re part of things, they’re more likely to engage in their asthma management.

If you have more questions about managing your child’s asthma at school, we’re happy to help. You can call ahead to schedule an appointment or simply walk into our clinic in Forest Hills, Queens, New York.