Has anyone successfully had their child permanently excused from PE for health issues?

[nom8nom]

My DD is extremely asthmatic and gets very wheezy doing any kind of running or exercise. She is quite slim so doesn't need to lose weight and walks to school 1 mile each day, so not unfit.

I would rather she does not participate in PE lessons as I know from primary school she gets extremely wheezy and has had many asthma attacks where she can't breathe and has to sit down and take her inhaler. This is extremely scary for her and she hates doing PE.

She has now moved up to Secondary school and has 1 hour PE lessons at least twice a week and is very upset and doesn't want to do it.

Would I be able to write a note to the school saying I don't want her to participate and that she should be sent to the library to read a book or sit on the sidelines reading during PE lessons? Can the school force her to do PE?

Does anyone have any experience of doing this?

What has medical advice been? Have you asked the doctor or asthma nurse want they would advise?

What about other forms of exercise that don't involve running like swimming or yoga?

My son, who has autism, flat out refused to do PE. They couldn't make him and eventually he was allowed to study in the library for this time instead.

I think her safety should trump cirriculum.

Not permanently excused but my mum wrote a note saying when I said I wasn't up to doing PE I was to sit out. It worked and I skived PE a lot. Well I was there but not joining in!

I think it might be best to speak to the teachers about your daughter doing what she can manage (even if only 5 minutes) and being allowed to excuse herself without fear of being told no.

tbh I think you should go back to gp/asthma nurse to discuss.

in the long term strengthening lungs through exercise is a good thing but it needs to be managed better.
she might need a different treatment regime if she can't cope with normal, age appropriate levels of exercise

If I were you I'd go back to the doctor and see if there's anything more you can do to control her asthma better. I'm guessing you have done this though and it's as well controlled as possible. Does she not do any running around? That's really sad for her not to be able to run around and play with her friends. Is it possible the school could let her do low impact pe? Maybe be the ref or something?

I've had asthma since I was a baby (now 33) and I went through a rough few years with it from 13-16.

If she's becoming that bad from mild exercise then you should speak to her asthma nurse. I would imagine they'll want her to see the chest specialist for a change of treatment.

Maybe she won't need excusing from all PE lessons, just the ones that involve lots of constant running or out in the cold? I would definitely discuss with the chest specialist though

As someone who had health issues as a child I would say it would not be a good idea to go down this route. If your child is fit enough to walk a mile to school each day then the other girls will see her as just skiving off something she does not want to do. I also have asthma. I think you need to take your daughter back to GP/Asthma nurse to get her treatment changed so that she is able to participate to the best of her ability in normal school routine.

Will she never for the rest of her life be able to do any aerobic exercise without bringing on wheezing?

Another vote for getting your child back to the doctor if her asthma is that bad. She needs steriods if she's not taking them already and to actually take her inhaler before exercising, not waiting until she gets bad.

As above. What you're suggesting goes against current thinking for most asthmatics and not being able to exercise without wheezing is just shit for her. Walking a mile to school does not equal "fitness" either.

Is she not advised to take her inhaler before exercise? That's what I do and I have exercise-induced asthma.
But if that's her only inhaler there's a lot more the GP can do.

It sounds as if her asthma is not controlled wirh her current treatment. Is that because her asthma specialist has tried everything and run out of options?

No exercise is a really bad idea. Your lungs decondition really quickly because they are surrounded by muscle and the diaphragm loses its tone very easily if it isn't pushed, along with the intercostal muscles (ribcage). The less she does, the worse she will feel, and sooner, which will confirm to her that she's 'getting worse'.

You'd be better to discuss with the school a plan that allows her to know her limits and sit out when she feels she's reached them, then join in when she's rested again, building up her stamina gradually. Perhaps get an asthma clinic review, too. Don't let her think that she's too bad to do PE. That's a really bad precedent to set her in life.

She has been to see specialists and sees the asthma nurse regularly for checkups. She does get wheezy walking but has her inhaler with her at all times and stops to catch her breath. She takes steroids first thing every day and then the salbutamol inhaler if she gets wheezy. There is no way she can do an hour or running without getting extremely wheezy to the extent that she will not be able to breathe. Whenever she has done sports in the past she has not been able to continue because of her asthma.

I'm also not at all bothered about her not doing loads of exercise. She walks to school 2 miles each day (there and back) and is very slim.

I would go back to the specialist and explain it isn’t under control.
I would speak to the school and see what adjustments can be made. Eg given certain roles. Allowed to dress warmly in winter etc.

If she is needing to use her reliever inhaler every day then I'd say her asthma is not well controlled.

I echo the calls for this to be discussed with medical professionals. Then the correct action plan can be formulated in conjunction with school.
Many top athletes have asthma and clearly exercise hard whilst managing their condition. A study I easily googled online referred to 33% Team Sky professional cyclists and 70% of Team GB swimners being asthmatic. Other examples include footballer Paul Scholes and distant runner Paula Radcliffe.

She should be seeing a consultant regularly if her asthma is that bad. Wheezy when walking is not acceptable control.

That definitely doesn't sound like well controlled asthma. I am asthmatic and following pneumonia was finding myself very breathless a lot and was struggling to exercise. The asthma nurse was concerned as the symptoms indicated my asthma was not well controlled and I was monitored and put on different medications until we found something that worked.

Have a chat with her asthma nurse and be upfront about the impact of her symptoms. Does she not have a preventer? I was initially on a preventer two puffs twice daily and sabutamol as and when but as that wasnt effective I now take a preventer which also contains a small amount of reliever. This has been incredibly effective at getting my asthma under control and might be worth suggesting to your asthma nurse.

she's probably skinny because breathing takes such an amount of energy...

she should also consider taking up a brass instrument. the regular breathing might do her good as well.

She can be excused practicals whenever she is not fit enough to participate. You will need to provide evidence (eg a doctor's letter).

She will not however be excused PE, and would probably follow a PE theory/human biology programme, and it's quite likely that she would be doing it where PE teachers are accessible, so in sports hall nit the library.

I hope her condition can be managed and that she will be able to join in, even if only sometimes, before too long. Learning to coach/referee is another way to stay with the curriculum and classmate if items a case of amount and speed of movement, rather than a more compete loss of mobility.

Also, in a large school there may be a disability sports curriculum, but they're not common. If her school does have one, then that could be a good solution.

Just not doing a curriculum subject is the worst possible outcome.

A friend of my dd has never done PE. She has multiple issues including dyspraxia. Her parents have arranged with the agreement of the school for a private ballet teacher to go into school on PE days to work with her on physiotype excercises and posture, balance, co-ordination etc.

My Asthma was really bad as a teenager. I had a letter from my GP saying that if I was struggling I didn't have to do pe. As I hated pe and was rubbish at it I was always 'struggling'. I wish now that I'd been encouraged to participate in some way!. What I did have which was useful was a letter from the Head which enabled me to spend lunch times inside if the weather was affecting my breathing (ie if it was really cold, or damp, but not wet enough to be a wet weather break and therefore all indoors).

One of the things worth investigating is what the PE and whether she has choices. As often at secondary there are choices. For example my DD has choices including badminton, dance and pilates. Pilates in particular could be very useful.