First Aid

Attack Asthma!

Asthma Australia https://asthma.org.au/kids/attack/

Prevent symptoms before they start

• Using a daily preventer can help reduce the number and severity of asthma attacks your child experiences.
• Be aware of the things that trigger their symptoms and have a plan for how to deal with them.

Be proactive

• Book an asthma review with your doctor every six months to keep your child’s asthma under control and make sure they have an up-to-date Asthma Action Plan.
• Monitor your child’s symptoms and overall health, and work with your doctor to ensure the treatment plan is achieving your goals.

Participate

• Be actively involved in your child’s care – work with doctors and care providers as a shared decision-maker.
• Ensure you are using your devices correctly – you can practise this together with your child to gain confidence.
• Discuss your treatment goals with your doctor, including what your child wants their life to feel like when they have control of their asthma.
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The following asthma resources are helpful for kids with asthma.

Asthma Action Plan

The Asthma Action Plan is like an instruction manual for your asthma written by your doctor. It tells you what to do to manage your child’s asthma – what to do when it is well controlled, flaring up or what to do when they are very unwell. Following an Asthma Action Plan as instructed by the doctor will help prevent your child’s asthma from getting out of control.

The Asthma Action Plan should also be given to your child’s school, so they know what to do if your child’s asthma flares-up.

Asthma Review – Symptom Tracker

Asthma management should be reviewed with the doctor every six months for kids and yearly for adolescents and adults (unless asthma symptoms or medicine has changed).

To prepare for an Asthma Review, try to keep a diary of your child’s symptoms. You can do this in your phone calendar app, notes app or download a symptom tracker from the Asthma Australia website.

Talk to an Asthma Educator

Sometimes you need to speak to a real person to get your asthma questions answered. You can call an Asthma Educator for free on 1800 ASTHMA (1800 278 462) or book a call at a time that suits you.

Asthma Educators can answer all the questions you have about managing your child’s asthma, like preventer use in kids, managing asthma attacks, asthma at school, what to do post-hospital visit and so much more.