REBECCA TODD – the Press DEAN KOZANIC/The Press

HARD JOURNEY: Elizabeth Neill’s twin sons William, left, and Reev both have asthma and are both in reading recovery.

Children with asthma are more likely to fall six months behind their classmates in reading during their first year of school, research shows.

the findings have sparked calls for better support in schools for new entrants with asthma.

the Children’s Learning Study followed 298 five-year-olds at eight Christchurch schools between 2005 and 2008.

the study found that children who started school with asthma – 18.5 per cent – were significantly more likely to be in the lowest 25 per cent in reading at the end of their first year.

the children were not at a lower level at school entrance, but after a year were more likely to have fallen six months or more behind those without the condition in reading.

the low achievement was independent of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, ability level, absence, asthma severity and behaviour problems.

the lead researcher, Canterbury University associate professor Kathleen Liberty, said the results were “extremely concerning”.

“If the learning problems are associated with health conditions, then putting in place educational interventions is not going to have an impact,” she said.

“Our concern is with the children who are struggling and if we can find out what it is about the asthma that’s affecting their ability to learn in the first year of school,” she said.

Researchers would now try to explain “why they came to school ready to learn and ended up with so many of them in the lowest quartile”.

Possible reasons were that asthmatic children had other health conditions or limited social experiences, which affected their ability to learn.

Asthma-related sleeping problems could lead to lower concentration.

Liberty said children with asthma needed to be watched carefully in the first few terms of school to see if they were falling behind. if they had problems, the school should step in straight away.

Schools provided support for struggling children from age six, but the data showed they needed to get in early or children with asthma would “fall further and further behind”, she said.

Asthma Foundation medical director Bob Hancox said the study showed young children with asthma could need extra help at school.

“Unfortunately, we don’t know how to prevent asthma, but we do know how to improve asthma control to minimise it’s impact,” he said. “Parents who are concerned about their children’s asthma should talk to their doctors.”

Ministry of Education principal adviser Shelley Robertson said a child with severe asthma could qualify for “high health needs” support, particularly when moving to a new school.

“We expect any child with a health condition to be supported by a school. Staff can do this by developing a care plan with parents and health professionals,” she said.

new Zealand has high asthma rates among children. about 28 per cent of children aged six and seven have been diagnosed with asthma, and 20 per cent have asthma symptoms that are poorly controlled.

the Canterbury findings have been published in medical journal Chest.

Flow of words – and air – not always clear

a North Canterbury mother says her children’s asthma means they have struggled to learn to read.

Elizabeth Neill, of Culverden, said Canterbury research showing new entrants with asthma were more likely to fall behind in reading than their classmates rang true with her twin boys.

William and Reev, aged six, both suffer from chronic asthma and were put into reading recovery after their first year at school.

Neill said both boys missed classes because of their illness and had trouble sleeping through the night.

William was on daily steroids, which made him hyperactive, and he found it hard to concentrate.

“He can’t focus; can’t stay on task for anything for more than a few minutes. that has quite an effect on his learning,” she said.

William’s allergies also left him feeling “miserable” during the school day.

Neill said Reev was about six months behind in his reading and William even further. the effect of the reading-recovery programme was “remarkable”.

She said that when the twins were diagnosed with asthma at five and 10 months, she did not realise it would affect their learning. the boys could not go to preschool because their asthma was so bad.

“I thought it would have an effect on their socialisation at school and even focus, but I didn’t realise what effect it would have on their development as far as learning went,” Neill said.

She supported the idea of children with asthma being watched carefully so any sign they were falling behind could be dealt with quickly.