If your child has asthma, you know the importance of communicating with their doctor to treat and control their asthma; but did you know that it’s important that your child does most of the talking when you’re at the doctor’s office?
Often parents don’t have an accurate idea of how their child’s asthma is impacting their daily life because they are away at school and other activities most of the day.
For your child’s doctor to get an accurate idea of how their asthma is being controlled, your child should discuss many things with their doctor, such as:
- When/if their asthma symptoms get worse at school or at home – To try and determine triggers that may be effecting their quality of life at school or at home. Depending on the triggers, the doctor may be able to recommend steps to control or mitigate these triggers.
- How much they participate in gym and recess – Exercise is crucial to everyone, even those with asthma. For some exercise is an asthma trigger, but those with well-controlled asthma should be able to participate in physical activities if they take the proper precautions. It’s also important that children discuss if they feel left out of activities because of their asthma.
- If their asthma has improved or “gone away” – Asthma never truly goes away, so it’s important that your child’s doctor explains this to them and stresses the importance of continuing to use their medicine.
As your child gets older, they’ll be more and more in charge of their asthma treatment. Therefore, it is important that they are knowledgeable about their condition from a relatively young age so they can be comfortable with their treatment and keeping it under control.