Chest Tightness

• One child's asthma symptom that is difficult to discern is chest tightness. Because children do not know how to express chest tightness, they might say that their chest "feels funny" or hurts.
  
  

Coughing

• The most common symptom of a child's asthma is coughing. The coughing might wake the child at night. Any coughing that persists after 14 days is suspect.
  
  

Frequent Colds

• Children with asthma frequently struggle with respiratory illnesses, such as bronchitis. The parent might believe that the child has a weak immune system, but the problem is really the child's asthma.
  
  

Pronounced Ribs

• Pronounced ribs can be a symptom of asthma. As the child works harder to breathe, his ribs become more noticeable.
  
  

Rapid/Shallow Breathing

• Children with asthma often breathe more rapidly and take more shallow breaths because they are unable to breathe in deeply.
  
  

Wheezing

• While many children with asthma do not wheeze, some do. Wheezing is a more common symptom of adult asthma than child's asthma.