Asthma control: Steps for children ages 5 to 11

Managing your child's asthma can seem like an overwhelming responsibility. Following these steps will help make it easier.

Learn about asthma

A critical part of managing your child's asthma is learning exactly what steps to take on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. It's also important that you understand the purpose of each part of tracking symptoms and adjusting treatment. You, your child and caretakers need to:

• Understand the different types of medications for asthma and how they work
• Learn to recognize and record signs and symptoms of worsening asthma
• Know what to do when your child's asthma gets worse

Track symptoms with a written plan

A written asthma action plan is an important tool to let you know how well treatment is working, based on your child's symptoms. With your child's doctor, create a written asthma plan that outlines the steps needed to manage your child's asthma. You and your child's caretakers, including babysitters, teachers and coaches, should have a copy of the plan.

The plan can help you and your child:

• Track how often your child has asthma flare-ups (exacerbations)
• Judge how well medications are controlling symptoms
• Note any medication side effects, such as shaking, irritability or trouble sleeping
• Check how well your child's lungs are working with a peak flow meter
• Measure how much your child's symptoms affect daily activities such as play, sleep and sports
• Adjust medications when symptoms get worse
• Recognize when to see a doctor or seek emergency care

Many asthma plans use a stoplight system of green, yellow and red zones that correspond to worsening symptoms. This system can help you quickly determine asthma severity and identify signs of an asthma attack. Some asthma plans use a symptoms questionnaire called the Asthma Control Test to measure asthma severity over the past month.

Control asthma triggers

Taking steps to help your child avoid triggers is an important part of controlling asthma. Asthma triggers vary from child to child. Work with your child's doctor to identify triggers and steps you can take to help your child avoid them. Common asthma triggers include:

• Colds or other respiratory infections
• Allergens such as dust mites or pollen
• Pet dander
• Exercise
• Cold weather
• Mold and dampness
• Cockroach exposure
• Cigarette smoke and other irritants in the air
• Severe heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD)