The emergency department (ED) physician will follow the standard asthma care path to manage a pediatric asthma patient whether the patient meets study criteria or not. Patients' legal guardian will be approached for consent if patient meets the study criteria. Once the consent is obtained, the patient will be randomized into one of the two study groups according to a randomization table generated by a statistician. The first group will receive a single dose of dexamethasone sodium phosphate injection (0.6 mg/kg with max of 16 mg) mixed with equivalent volume of cherry syrup given orally in the ED. The second group will receive a first dose of dexamethasone with cherry syrup (also 0.6 mg/kg with max of 16 mg) in the ED, and a second dose will be prescribed to the patient at home on the day following the ED visit. This dose will be the same dosage of dexamethasone, but may be a pill or liquid form. Patients will continue their previously prescribed asthma regimen and albuterol as needed. Children who vomit the steroids in the ED will be re-dosed. Children who vomit the steroid a second time will be excluded from the study.