The treatment of childhood asthma increasingly entails self-management as an important factor in influencing the course of the disease. The study identified subgroups of children who were at increased risk of misinterpreting, and thus mismanaging, their pulmonary function. Identification of the characteristics of these high risk children formed the basis for subsequent development of an intervention program to improve symptom self-perception, thereby enhancing the children's ability to participate effectively in self-management of their asthma.