Asthma Centres: Community or hospital-based clinics that provide asthma education and resources.  

Action Plan: A form that explains how to tell when asthma is in or out of control and the steps to take to maintain or regain asthma control. It is typically completed by a student's doctor/health care provider or asthma educator. 
 
Asthma Champion:  A person who keeps up-to-date with asthma information and serves as a resource person for the school community (parent, teacher or school personnel).

School Asthma Information Package: This package includes the Student Asthma Management Form, which provides directions for handling an individual student’s asthma at school, an authorization form for the administration of prescribed medication at school, checklists for students with asthma and their parents/guardians explaining their role in creating an asthma friendly school, and  the Medic-Alert information sheet.

Health Care Professionals: This term may include Public Health Nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, Certified Asthma Educators, nurses, pharmacists, and registered respiratory therapists.

Student Asthma Management Plan: This plan provides instructions for school personnel regarding the management of the student’s asthma at school.  This form should be completed by the parents/guardians of students with asthma.

School Community: consists of parents/guardians, students, school boards and the school personnel.

School Personnel: includes principals, vice principals, teachers, secretaries, custodians, lunchroom monitors, and volunteers

Triggers:  Anything in the environment that can irritate the airways and cause asthma symptoms or make them worse.  

Worsening Asthma:  It is difficult to predict when asthma will worsen.  Typically with worsening asthma the person will require the use of medication (blue reliever inhaler) and, perhaps, medical attention depending on the severity.  Signs of worsening asthma include:
    • Experience of cough, wheeze, difficulty breathing
    • Inability to perform normal activities
    • Increase in respiratory rate (breathing in and out)
    • Ribs show during breathing (the skin between the ribs and neck are sucked in with each breath)
    • Can only say 3-5 words before needing to take another breath
    • Not improving after taking the reliever inhaler within 5-15 minutes
    • May or may not hear wheezing (a high pitched musical sound when breathing)