If you are sensitive to sulfites, avoid foods and beverages that contain these preservatives. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent these problems. You may want to arrange a school conference with teachers, including the physical education teachers, school nurses and teachers' aides before the school year begins. It is important for them to have an understanding of your child's asthma. Your physician should be willing to work with you and the school if further arrangements are needed.
Some children have difficulty keeping up with their schoolwork because of missed class time.
However, it is usually not necessary to miss school because of mild symptoms that can be handled by school representatives. Monitoring your child's peak flow values at home and at school can be very helpful. The peak flow meter, as your health care professional will tell you, is a device that measures the passage of air from your lungs. By checking your peak flow daily, you may avoid episodes because you will know about the narrowing of your airways even before symptoms begin. Make sure you use your peak flow meter first thing in the morning before beginning the day's activities, i.e., before eating, treating your asthma, going to school, etc.