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for me. She had a frequent cough and chest congestion even when she was being treated with antibiotics, cough medicine, etc.

If you suspect your child is not just experiencing a common cold and shows some of these signs it is time to talk with your pediatrician. You are the best judge of how your child is feeling because you are with them all of the time. As in my situation, I called my pediatrician and told her I think my daughter has asthma and described the symptoms to her. She referred us to a specialist or Pediatric Pulmonologist who gave Hannah a thorough examination and made a diagnosis of asthma. A doctor usually bases the diagnosis on the child's medical history including a description of symptoms, physical exam and often tests such as chest x-rays and pulmonary function tests. When a child is under the age of 5, the doctor is unable to do the lung function tests that normally diagnose asthma in adults or older children. In the case of my daughter, diagnosis was based on symptoms, exam and chest x-ray.

Once diagnosis is made, the doctor will set up a treatment plan or "Asthma action plan". Your child's asthma action plan will tell you when and how your child should use medications, what to do when symptoms get worse and when to go to the emergency room. You will want to ask as many questions as you need now to be able to care for your child with asthma. Don't be afraid to ask for pamphlets and brochures and even for good books you can get from the local library.

Treatment will depend on the severity of your child's asthma and the child's age will dictate which types of medications the doctor can prescribe. As in the case of Hannah, our doctor ordered her nebulizer or breathing treatments with a mask and liquid meds such as Albuterol (a bronchodilator to open up the breathing tubes) and Pulmocort Respules(inhaled steroid to decrease the inflammation in the lungs) As she got older, at the age of 4,we were able to start a med called Singulair. Singulair is a once a day medication, taken by mouth,that may help your child's asthma be more controlled. It is given as young as 12 months up to adult. Side effects are generally mild.

When Hannah was 6 years old we were able to switch to a metered dose inhaler(MDI) instead of the nebulizer. Using the inhaler provides more independence for the child because they are not confined for a treatment that lasts 10-15 minutes and inhalers are easy to take with you in a purse, diaper bag, or back pack.

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