Causes (2)
- Dust mite allergy
- Pet allergy
Lifestyle and home remedies (1)
- Asthma in children: Creating an asthma action plan
Prevention (2)
- Asthma: Limit asthma attacks caused by colds or flu
- Children and exercise-induced asthma: Playing sports safely
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Spirometry
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Asthma in children under 5
- Treating asthma in children ages 5 to 11
- Treating asthma in children ages 12 and older
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continued:
Asthma in children: Creating an asthma action plan
Check out a sample plan
The asthma action plan that follows is an example of a plan to use. Print the plan and take it to your child's next appointment. Ask the doctor to help you personalize the plan for your child.
Sample Asthma Action Plan for Children 5 and Older (PDF file requiring Adobe Reader).
Keep the action plan within reach
Once you and your child's doctor have developed a written asthma plan, keep it handy in case of an asthma flare-up. Make sure your child and everyone who cares for him or her — including grandparents and baby sitters — know where to find it and what to do in case of worsening asthma symptoms. Give a copy of the plan to the school nurse and your child's teachers and coaches. Keep another copy in your wallet or purse, in case an asthma attack occurs away from home.
As your child gets older, he or she can take more responsibility for monitoring and managing asthma. By the time your child is a teen, he or she may be able to take a key role in using the action plan to monitor symptoms and adjust treatment.
Meet regularly with your child's doctor
Work with the doctor to adjust the asthma action plan on a regular basis. Asthma changes with age, so treatment plans need to change too.
- Make sure your child goes to every scheduled doctor's appointment and brings along the current asthma plan.
- Review your child's asthma plan at every doctor visit. Tell the doctor about any problems your child is having sticking with the plan.
- If you have any questions or if you're simply concerned about your child's signs and symptoms, call your child's doctor or schedule an appointment.
Having asthma shouldn't mean your child will miss school, be short of breath during sports or play, or wake up coughing at night. By carefully following a written plan, you and your child can keep asthma well controlled — and minimize the disruptions caused by asthma flare-ups.
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- Expert panel report 3 (EPR3): Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. Bethesda, Md.: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/asthgdln.htm. Accessed Dec. 1, 2008.
- Kuehn BM. New asthma guidelines released. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2007;298:1503.
- Tips to remember: Childhood asthma. American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. 2007. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/childhoodasthma.stm. Accessed Oct. 23, 2008.
- Breathing better: Action plans keep asthma in check. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/203_asthma.html. Accessed Oct. 23, 2008.
