AIBU school and inhaler

[MrsCaptainCaveman]

First time poster here!

Dd8 has cough variant ashma (CVA) and has a blue preventer inhaler at school.

Since she started school I've struggled with them understanding what CVA is; what the symptoms are; it doesn't present like classic ashma; when she needs her inhaler.
All of this is on her medical form and basically if she can't control her cough she needs her inhaler!

When she was younger I'd have to speak to her teacher(s) to alert them to the fact she may "need inhaler today". Now she's older I've explained that she needs to ask for it herself (inhalers are kept in Reception not the classroom). However, she's not great at speaking up for herself (teachers know this) and she won't always ask if she needs her inhaler.

Today I pick her up, constantly coughing, and I ask "did you ask for your inhaler"? To which I got a NO! I've obviously told her in no uncertain terms that now is not the time to not take inhaler when needed (she knows about coronavirus from). Fortunately after she'd taken it once we got home she was fine.

Usually I'd just let it go as I feel it's really up to her to speak up and ask for it and, under normal circumstances, doesn't present a massive risk. But given the current situation and wanting to keep her ashma under control, AIBU to speak to the school and remind them that she has CVA and if they think she needs inhaler to just to give it to her?

YABU = Dd needs to speak up and ask for her inhaler.
YANBU = School need to be more aware of her condition and act accordingly

You need to bring it up with school again. DS who is 9 also has cough variant asthma, not a lot of people (even some doctors) seem to understand this. But school have actually always been very good and he's had a reliever inhaler at school since he was in nursery.

I'm assuming you just got that bit mixed up a blue inhaler is a reliever for an acute episode. The often brown or sometimes other colours like purple are preventative inhalers.

She really should have her inhaler near her at all times. The class medical box should contain this and it should travel with the class.
Teacher should definitely be clued up on this and offer the inhaler if she is coughing.

Ask the sendco what her individual care plan is for her asthma and therefore what is her responsibility and what is that of staff. It should be updated every year. Then go through it with her so she understands when and who she needs to go to for her inhaler.

Make her a card she can show her teacher and reception staff?

Her inhaler should be with her at all times so it should be in her classroom not in a different one, Asthma UK fought hard for this to happen school inhaler policies.

@MigGril, yes typo on the inhaler (oops!) She has brown/cream preventer. Blue is reliver. We were very lucky with an early diagnosis, although it still took 18 months!

My DD 5 has this and they keep hers in reception locked cupboard! She asked for it this week and was responded with ‘ two seconds I’m just doing (name) reading with her’ I was absolutely livid and rang the school! And to make matters worst her temp was high when she got home took her to doctors next day soon as they listened to her chest they said she needs antibiotics and steroids and she’s already has the brown&blue pumps.

Is there a reason that your Dd at 8 cannot keep her own inhaler to use as needed? When my daughter first started school the teacher kept her inhaler in a labelled container in her drawer. However by the end of year 1 her asthma nurse, the teacher and I all agreed that she was able to manage her inhaler independently and from then on she was responsible for keeping it with her and using it when required.

Agree with the above, it needs to be in her own classroom at all times. I'd be insisting on this as a reasonable adjustment tbh.

My son has similar and I think teachers think it’s not that serious. My son was in hospital recently and very unwell.

His teacher has a grab bag with his inhaler in for him to take if needed he knows where it is and can use if he needs it. He is only 8 so will need supervision to how much/how often he’s taking it and how unwell he is, he has a detailed asthma plan - used asthma uk one. I’ve just updated it myself and handed it to teacher. Asthma is very serious and I know my sons school takes it seriously and you should make sure your school does too. My son is incredibly good with his inhalers. He’s on one purple preventer, montelukast, cetirizine and salbutamol for his reliever. He does them supervised every day knows if he’s missing anything etc. It’s good for them to be responsible for their health along with you, but last exacerbation he couldn’t speak or catch a breath so handy if teacher recognises when the reliever isn’t helping or things aren’t getting better and to summon help.

My 6 year old is the same, coughs not wheezes. This is written all over her notes at school and her teacher and the numerous TAs which support her year group all know and are all able to give her her inhaler. It's only in the last year or so she's started to understand her symptoms well enough to know when to ask, before that the note for staff was to give at the start of any coughing episode. Now quite often she or her teacher/class TA will tell me she asked for it. So school I'm completely comfortable with, but I'd expect an 8 year old to ask for their in inhaler.

I've only had an issue once and that was actually with After School Club, which is run by another Provider. They also have an inhaler and spacer, but as she's never needed it there she was a bit unsure who to ask for it and they hadn't picked up on the cough, so she waited for me to get there. So I spoke to both my daughter and after school club so they both know the importance, and I plan to remind them when she's back next. It's the fear or being unsure, or in an unfamiliar environment which would throw my daughter if she didn't know the person well enough to ask, which does make me wonder whether she'd ask a supply teacher for instance... thankfully the lovely TAs have always been around so not come across that scenario yet.

You need to speak to school again AND encourage your daughter to speak up. DS9 has his inhaler in class, along with the wristbands that say he's had his inhaler today and the log book. He's now much better at sorting himself out, putting on a wristband and TA records in book.

In my experience some teachers are great and others not so much. DS is allowed up to 10 puffs in 4 hours. I've actually had a supply teacher say to him that he didn't need that and two puffs was plenty. He ended up in hospital. School got much better when I pointed out that his dropped attendance could've been prevent by them.

You're neither reasonable nor unreasonable!

Your DD needs to be able to ask for her inhaler however, this is something you and her teacher both know she struggles with. Just telling your DD that 'she needs to speak up and ask for her inhaler' isn't going to work, she needs help to develop the confidence to do just that. Do you know why she struggles to speak up? Does she have confidence in her ability to assess when she needs it? Have you asked her what would help her speak up?

Unfortunately, asthma isn't always taken as seriously as it ought to be - it is entirely possible that she's worried that asking for her inhaler will be treated like toilet requests (even if that worry is entirely unfounded).

Show them the Asthma UK guidance. Encourage the school to have some further training - the local asthma specialist will probably jump at the chance.

Ds2 ended up in A&E with an overnight stay because a previous school didn't think he was having an asthma attack so had to wait until the TA came off her break to get it from reception.

We actually ended up sending him private to a school where there was a full-time nurse who could manage his asthma properly because we had so little confidence in the catchment one...

A couple of my kids are asthmatic and have self medicated prior to starting school. Their inhalers have always been with them at all times.
Their primary school tried to remove it from them.
The sharp end of my tongue soon sorted that nonsense out.
Your child should have their inhaler on them at all times.
You need to make sure that this happens.
Asthma attacks have no concept of time.

As far as I'm aware all medication, no matter what, is kept in Reception.

The school had a copy of her Asthma plan which we completed during a routine check up with ashma nurse.

If she was allowed to keep it in her tray, or at least with the teacher, I don't think asking would be such an issue as she knows how to take it. At the moment she has to ask teacher, or TA, who then gives permission for her to go to Reception to ask for it.

I'm going to speak to the school tomorrow and see if she can keep it with her!

Thank you for comments, it nice to know I'm not alone with a child with CVA.

I think by all means keep pushing for her to be more independent with it but that may well take a while because of confidence, not wanting to seem different or stand out so in the meantime id make sure school were made aware again too

By keeping medication at reception and requiring child to go and collect is hugely putting certain children at risk. If my sons inhaler was kept at reception there is no way I would let him stay at that school.

Do the school not care that asthma kills thousands of people a year, many of those deaths due to inhalers not being at hand!

As far as I'm aware all medication, no matter what, is kept in Reception.

The school need the proverbial swift boot applying to their collective backsides...and not just in respect os asthma medications! Rescue meds (blue inhalers, epi-pens etc) need to be to hand because seconds count - and that means in the same room as the child!

of asthma medications, not os!

I'm going to speak to the school tomorrow and see if she can keep it with her!

Do not go in to see if she can keep it with her.

Go in and tell them she is keeping it with her. They may want a second one that they keep, but that is fine.

Schools are often stil in the dark ages insisting on epi-pens and inhalers being locked in cupboards away from the children, but this is not safe. It's not good practise because it's not safe.

There should be no delay for your child having their inhaler any longer than taking it out of a bag or pocket

My 8 year old has CVA. I also have had to educate her school/teachers. She is also shy and unlikely to say if she needs her inhaler. The teacher/adult in charge should be observing her breathing and taking action as appropriate. I know it is not always easy (ex teacher), but adults caring for children need to be vigilant to acute health events and act accordingly. Locking rescue meds away makes me so cross, children and teens die each year due to lack of rapid access. Speak to her teacher, be firm and escalate higher up the chain if the response is not satisfactory.

I would raise hell in your situation. That inhaler is designed to prevent an attack - she shouldn’t have to walk through the school to get it.

Can I ask those with a diagnosis of cough variant asthma who gave this?

My DD has asthma which I think is cough variant but drs don't seem to know much about this. In A&E I was told she didn't need nebulisers as she wasn't wheezing they then realised her SATs were only 90%.

Any good sources of information for helping educate people on this type of asthma? Thanks

@Bramblespoint my dd has cough vatiant asthma which was fobbed off by the GP for years. I was in the surgery one day and they had asthma symptoms on the TV which dd met most of. I went to the desk, explained what I'd observed and requested an appointment with the asthma nurse. After which we received an apology, an asthma plan and preventative inhaler. Can you request an ppt with your asthma nurse like I did?

OP I also had problems in the lower school getting the teachers to understand. Have you had a face to face meeting with the teacher to discuss symptoms?