| Part A: |
| You have been coaching a group of teenagers, aged 14-15, in a competitive hockey league. You notice that Simon, a talented fourteen |
| year-old with asthma who played really well last season, hasn’t been using his reliever medication before or during practice, seems |
| more tired than usual and covers less ground during practices and games. Last season, Simon was capable of outperforming many |
| of his competitors when he had his asthma under control, and he was even noticed by scouts for the provincial development |
| team. Being a high-level player whose competitive nature also transfers to school and his other extra-curricular activities, |
| Simon was excited at the prospect of joining the development team at the age of 15 and expressed a strong desire to continue |
| working toward this goal. |
| Simon is complaining of fatigue and is sitting out of more games, claiming he doesn’t think he is fit enough. Simon has also been |
| acting more withdrawn than usual, and he isn’t communicating with his teammates as much compared to last year. You also |
| notice that he’s not using his rescue/reliever medication before practice or games. At the same time, he’s not showing any |
| obvious signs of common asthma symptoms like coughing, wheezing, chest pain/tightness or shortness of breath. |
| Part B: |
| Simon is the only player on your team who is diagnosed with asthma, and the only player who uses an inhaler. Your team is |
| playing at a tournament out of town, and between games you notice that while all of the members of the team are socializing, one of |
| the louder boys makes a condescending comment in Simon’s direction that indicates social stigma around his inhaler use. |
| Simon ignores the comment and continues chatting with another teammate. After observing this interaction, you suspect Simon may |
| be uncomfortable using his inhaler in front of his teammates, and this could be affecting his interactions with his teammates as well |
| as his asthma management and performance. |
