What to do if a child has an asthma attack at child care
Asthma is a common condition. There are many children with asthma at child care.
Asthma is when the air passages in the lungs become swollen and inflamed and mucus is produced. When someone is having an asthma attack, the airways become really narrow (tight) and it is hard to breathe. The person might wheeze and cough a lot but not all asthmatics do this. All asthmatics though will find it hard to breathe out when they are having an asthma attack.
Asthma can run in families and can be linked with other medical conditions like eczema, hay fever and allergies. It’s triggered by different things in different people.
As an early childhood educator, you need to know a bit about asthma so you can recognise if a child is having an asthma attack and be able to help them if that happens.
Children with Asthma must have an Asthma Action Plan and their little bag of medicine that is displayed and kept at the childcare centre. The Asthma Action Plan tells you about the child’s asthma, what might trigger it and what medicine to give or what to do if the child has an attack.
Common Triggers:
Cold and Flu
Changes in the weather
Exercise
Smoke
Dust and dust mites
Pollen (from flowers and trees)
Animal fur
Some medications
Signs and symptoms to look out for:
Pale and sweaty skin
Dry persistent cough
Shortness of breath (can’t breathe properly)
Tightness in chest
Blue skin colour around lips
Anxiety and distress
Wheezing (when they breathe its sounds like a whistle)
Gasping for breath
Can’t speak more than one or two words per breath
Children might suck in muscles around the ribs
Children might vomit
Children might become drowsy
If a child has an asthma attack or you think they might be having one you have to:
Call your supervisor to come straight away
Try to keep the child calm and reassure them everything will be OK
Sit them upright
Don’t leave them alone
Follow their Asthma Action Plan
Help them to take their medication (usually Ventolin using a spacer) in the correct dose
If no improvement, call their parents and the ambulance
Tell your supervisor about what happened so they can fill out a report on the required form.
The Victorian Government has some excellent information about Asthma and managing asthma in children especially at child care on the website at the yellow link below. If you go to it at the bottom there are also some videos you could watch with your coach on managing asthma from the Royal Children's Hospital.
TASK: Can you find where the Asthma Action Plans are kept at HEY in the Dolphin Room? Have a read of one child’s Action Plan and have a look in their medication bag. What do you see? Do you have any questions about it? Write down your questions and ask your supervisor those questions. Write down the answers.
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