Who’s in charge at school?

It wasn’t easy—and may have taken a few tries—but your child’s asthma and allergies are well-managed at home. But what about their health at school? How do you make sure allergy and asthma flares don’t happen away from home during the day?

“There are ‘hidden’ allergens at school that can trigger both allergy and asthma flares,” says allergist James Tracy, DO, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

“Environmental allergens such as dust mites, mold, pet dander from other kids’ pets and even seasonal allergens like pollen can all affect your child’s allergies and asthma during the school day and make symptoms worse. If you work with school personnel, you can put a plan in place to ease your child’s symptoms.”

Below are four tips from ACAAI to help you keep your child’s symptoms under control during the school day.

1. Reach out now—If you don’t already know, find out who your child’s teacher will be and reach out to discuss your child’s allergy plan. Ask to take a tour of the classroom and meet with school staff regarding your child’s allergy triggers and treatment plan. If your child takes medication during the day, their teacher, school nurse and others need to be aware. If your child has food allergies, make sure they know when and how to use their epinephrine auto injector. Your school should have a training program to help personnel understand how to administer epinephrine when needed.
2. Make sure your child is vaccinated—Kids, especially those with asthma, are susceptible to respiratory ailments. Every child who is eligible should be up to date on vaccines against respiratory viruses, including COVID 19, flu and RSV. The airways of kids with asthma are more sensitive, so infections like the flu, RSV and COVID-19 can inflame their lungs and quickly trigger asthma symptoms. If your child has an egg allergy, know that research has shown the flu vaccine is safe for those with egg allergies.
3. Confirm food allergy diagnoses—Your goal is to always keep your child safe—but they may be navigating the world with an incorrect food allergy diagnosis. About 8% of children have diagnosed food allergies. But there are many kids who are misdiagnosed due to unnecessary or incorrect testing methods. Home tests can result in false positives, and send families on complicated journeys involving unnecessarily cutting out foods. If you think your child has had a reaction to a food, an allergist can confirm a food allergy through testing, and then work with you to create a food allergy action plan.
4. Consult the expert—Make an appointment with your child’s board-certified allergist before school starts. If your child uses prescription medication for either allergies or asthma, make sure their prescription hasn’t expired and is up-to-date based on weight, height and other factors. For children with especially troublesome allergies, an allergist may prescribe immunotherapy (allergy shots or tablets) which can change the course of, and lessen the intensity of how an allergy develops. Kids who have asthma who see an allergist have 77% fewer days out of school.

It wasn’t easy—and may have taken a few tries—but your child’s asthma and allergies are well-managed at home. But what about their health at school? How do you make sure allergy and asthma flares don’t happen away from home during the day?

“There are ‘hidden’ allergens at school that can trigger both allergy and asthma flares,” says allergist James Tracy, DO, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

“Environmental allergens such as dust mites, mold, pet dander from other kids’ pets and even seasonal allergens like pollen can all affect your child’s allergies and asthma during the school day and make symptoms worse. If you work with school personnel, you can put a plan in place to ease your child’s symptoms.”

Below are four tips from ACAAI to help you keep your child’s symptoms under control during the school day.

1. Reach out now—If you don’t already know, find out who your child’s teacher will be and reach out to discuss your child’s allergy plan. Ask to take a tour of the classroom and meet with school staff regarding your child’s allergy triggers and treatment plan. If your child takes medication during the day, their teacher, school nurse and others need to be aware. If your child has food allergies, make sure they know when and how to use their epinephrine auto injector. Your school should have a training program to help personnel understand how to administer epinephrine when needed.
2. Make sure your child is vaccinated—Kids, especially those with asthma, are susceptible to respiratory ailments. Every child who is eligible should be up to date on vaccines against respiratory viruses, including COVID 19, flu and RSV. The airways of kids with asthma are more sensitive, so infections like the flu, RSV and COVID-19 can inflame their lungs and quickly trigger asthma symptoms. If your child has an egg allergy, know that research has shown the flu vaccine is safe for those with egg allergies.
3. Confirm food allergy diagnoses—Your goal is to always keep your child safe—but they may be navigating the world with an incorrect food allergy diagnosis. About 8% of children have diagnosed food allergies. But there are many kids who are misdiagnosed due to unnecessary or incorrect testing methods. Home tests can result in false positives, and send families on complicated journeys involving unnecessarily cutting out foods. If you think your child has had a reaction to a food, an allergist can confirm a food allergy through testing, and then work with you to create a food allergy action plan.
4. Consult the expert—Make an appointment with your child’s board-certified allergist before school starts. If your child uses prescription medication for either allergies or asthma, make sure their prescription hasn’t expired and is up-to-date based on weight, height and other factors. For children with especially troublesome allergies, an allergist may prescribe immunotherapy (allergy shots or tablets) which can change the course of, and lessen the intensity of how an allergy develops. Kids who have asthma who see an allergist have 77% fewer days out of school.