What is a common respiratory assessment finding in a child with asthma?

In children with asthma, a common respiratory assessment finding is prolonged expiration accompanied by wheezing. This is primarily due to the airway narrowing that occurs during an asthmatic episode. When a child exhales, the constricted airways create turbulence, which causes the characteristic wheezing sound. Prolonged expiration indicates that the child is having difficulty expelling air from the lungs, a hallmark of obstructive airway diseases like asthma.

In contrast to the correct assessment finding, options such as hyperventilation during exercise can occur but are not as specific to asthma compared to the wheezing and prolonged expiration. Frothy sputum production is more indicative of conditions like pulmonary edema rather than asthma. Normal breath sounds would suggest a lack of airflow obstruction and would not align with what is typically observed during an asthma exacerbation. Therefore, prolonged expiration with wheezing is the most relevant and significant finding in the context of asthma.