Updated on July 31, 2024.
Asthma is a health condition that causes inflammation and narrowing of the airways, the tubes and passages that carry air in and out of the lungs as a person breathes. It is the most common chronic health condition among children over the age of five in the United States. Because children have smaller airways, asthma has the potential to be more severe during childhood.
Though exact numbers are not known, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that asthma is one of the leading causes of missed school days among children and adolescents in the U.S. Asthma—especially uncontrolled asthma—has also been linked to worse academic performance.
The school environment can also be a challenge for asthma control, with exposure to factors that can worsen asthma, such as dust or other environmental triggers, colds or other illnesses spread between classmates, and exacerbations during physical education classes or after-school sports.
If you are the parent of a child or adolescent that is heading back into the classroom for the start of the school year, the steps below can reduce the risk of asthma interfering with school (and school interfering with asthma control).
Check in with your child (and yourself)
Asthma is a different experience for every kid—and every parent. Take a few minutes to think about what your concerns are as your child heads into a new school year.
- Talk to your child about their concerns—about asthma and school in general.
- Review how asthma management has worked during the previous school year (if applicable), how asthma control has been recently, and anything that is on either of your minds.
- Write out a list and add to it as needed. This can help guide you as you prepare for the new school year.
Work with the school staff
Schedule meetings with the school nurse, teachers, coaches, and any other members of the school staff who will be caring for your child during school hours.
- Share a list of any environmental triggers (such as dust mites, mold, outdoor allergens, and physical exertion). Discuss any steps to minimize exposure to known triggers. You may want to take a tour of the school and classrooms.
- Share a list of your child's symptoms, and signs to watch that symptoms are worsening.
- Share a list of your child's medications and dosing schedule. For example, a child may need to take a dose from a short-acting inhaler 15 minutes prior to recess, physical education class, or sports practice.
- Complete any required medical forms the school needs, including proof of immunization. Review the school’s policy on students carrying and using inhalers and medications.
- Provide current emergency contact information for yourself, as well as additional adults who can be contacted if you cannot be reached.
- Provide an updated copy of your child's asthma action plan. This is a written document that covers daily management as well as steps to take if your child experiences an asthma attack.
- Discuss the school’s protocol for addressing asthma attacks, and who will care for your child if they need medication during school hours or experience an asthma attack at school.
Work with your pulmonologist
The frequency of appointments and check-ins with a pulmonologist will vary from person to person. If you have any concerns about asthma and the upcoming school year, it's worth scheduling an appointment or at least giving the pulmonologist's office a call.
- Review the current asthma medications and dosing instructions.
- Review your child’s technique with administering an inhaler and assess their readiness to manage different aspects of asthma on their own.
- Review and update the written asthma action plan as needed.
- Complete or acquire any medical forms that the school requires.
- Check that your child is up to date on vaccinations like the annual flu shot and COVID-19 boosters.
- Discuss any concerns you have. This can be concerns about the new school year or another aspect of asthma management.
Work with your child
Asthma is a lifelong health condition, and school is an opportunity for a child to take steps toward managing asthma on their own. What those steps are will depend on a child's age—an adolescent starting high school will have a different level of independence than a child starting grade school—but the basics of asthma management apply to every age.
- Ensure that your child has access to their inhaler(s) and other asthma medications, and that they understand how and when to use each medication.
- Review and rehearse what to do if they experience an asthma attack or feel that their symptoms are getting worse, including what medications to take and where to get help.
- Ask for their input about asthma action plans, emergency contacts, steps to avoid triggers, and other parts of asthma management—this is an important part of patient education.
