ARE ASTHMATIC-CHILDREN EDUCATIONALLY HANDICAPPED

Asthma is a common illness of childhood and may place children at risk for educational difficulties. Some asthmatic children demonstrate neu rocognitive impairment or interruption in academic progress as a direc t or indirect effect of the disease or its treatment. Contributing fac tors may include increased school absenteeism, medication side effects , and in severe instances respiratory arrest and hypoxia. However, for most asthmatic children these factors do not result in educational im pairment. Neither illness severity or rate of school absence predict a chievement levels. Further, several studies have demonstrated that, on average, academic achievement among asthmatic children is no less tha n that of their peers. Those at greatest risk for difficulty in school adaptation are children with poorly controlled asthma who are isolate d from peers and physically inactive. The risks for educational as wel l as psychosocial impairment in these children is further increased wi th the co-occurrence of multiple risk factors, including severe illnes s, poverty, and family dysfunction.