Does My Child Have Asthma?

Created with Permission from www.ucalgary.ca/icancontrolasthma

“Does my child have asthma?” is a common question families ask. Asthma can make it hard to breathe and can
cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or tightness in your chest. These things we see and feel are
called symptoms. Asthma symptoms can come and go, making it hard to know if a child has asthma.

It may take weeks, months or even years to confirm asthma, but there are ways to help us know if it is more
likely or less likely that a child has asthma. The information you share with health professionals helps us
understand if it is asthma. These are the 5 important things to think about:

• Symptoms
  • Cough
  • Wheeze
  • Tight Chest
  • Shortness of Breath
• Triggers
  • Cold/Flu
  • Allergies
  • Emotion/stress
  • Environment
  • Exercise/Play
• Medical History
• Response to Medicine
•  Breathings Tests (when a child is about 6 years old)

If your child does have asthma, the good news is that asthma can be well controlled and should not prevent
children from doing anything they want to do!
The information in the link below includes ideas to help you learn what to look for and what to write down to
share with your doctor or asthma educator.

https://www.ucalgary.ca/icancontrolasthma/files/icancontrolasthma/cpas-263-does-my.pdf

If your child has Asthma and you don’t already have an Asthma or Self-Management plan, you can print a plan
in one of 14 different languages for you to discuss with your doctor.

https://ucalgary.ca/icancontrolasthma/tools/asthma-action-plans

A good plan should include:

• the date the plan was completed
• your name
• your contact information/numbers
• you/your child's goals
• a description of asthma control
• a list of triggers to avoid
• daily medicines
• medicine adjustments when asthma is changing or getting worse