“Take it From Me” is a TODAY series where we ask experts and fans to use their wisdom to explain trends or make recommendations. In this latest installment, a pediatric neurologist helps parents identify and respond to kids going through a difficult school transition. It can be quite a shock for parents when a sunny, enthusiastic third grader seems to turn into an angry or anxious fourth grader. But many times, it’s all part of growing up. New Jersey pediatric neurologist and mom of three, Dr. Shilpa Dass wants parents to know that the shift from third grade to fourth grade can be one of the trickiest transitions for elementary school kids. “Your child is not necessarily going to say, ‘I’m really struggling with school,’ but you may notice some differences,” she tells TODAY.com. For example, Dass says that your child may be a little more resistant to or slower moving on school mornings, lose a bit of their previous school excitement or become more easily frustrated by homework. “Sometimes it is because (the kids) themselves are realizing that the expectations are just getting higher and they’re struggling a little bit,” Dass adds, along with a caveat that not all kids will react in this way. The most important work parents can do to help their kids, Dass says, is to recognize this transition and be prepared for it. Here are four reasons the fourth grade transition can be tough on kids. Reading comprehension is a must As the saying goes, kids shift from learning to read to reading to learn. “In kindergarten, first, second grade, there is this big emphasis on how to decode words, how to develop phonic skills, how to become a fluent reader,” says Dass. Generally once fourth grade begins, children are expected to have mastered those skills and become fluent readers (which is not always the case). According to the American Federation of Teachers, some students — especially those with socioeconomic challenges — can struggle to keep up, causing teachers to report a “fourth grade slump” in terms of literacy development. Reading comprehension is no longer confined to ELA classes. Fourth graders, Dass says, must be “fluent decoders to learn about science, history and even math — and the subjects become a lot more complex.” Vocabulary becomes essential Dass explains that necessary vocabulary expands at this age. “When children are younger, language is relatively simple in school,” she says. “There’s a lot of pictures and there’s a lot of familiar topics, and so you can actually get away with not being a very strong reader even though you don’t recognize every word.” In fourth grade, however, “topics become increasingly abstract,” she continues, “so understanding one specific word is actually what’s essential to answering the question.” Dass gives an example from a fourth grade test she keeps in her office. Kids have to read a passage and answer this question: “Is it right or wrong that the result of the experiment was inconclusive?” She says, “You can’t use context clues or guess your way out of that. You really have to understand what the word ‘inconclusive’ means.” Independence is expected Kids in fourth grade are expected to be much more independent than in younger grades. “When kids are younger, parents are getting a lot of email reminders on behalf of their kids,” she says. “We are getting ready for kids to go into middle school, and so the support really starts to back off. The child is expected to do the organization, to do the remembering, and so that level of executive functioning can sometimes be challenging.” It can take time for kids to adjust to performing these additional tasks on their own. Social dynamics change Friendships at this age become more complex, Dass says. In younger grades, kids flow from group to group during play. “Children start to maybe break off into smaller friend groups” in fourth grade, Dass notes. There’s more social awareness that starts to develop around this age, kids tend to be more aware of where they stand and they start to care a lot more about peer approval.” If your child is struggling… If school is not something that brings your child as much joy as it used to, Dass recommends connecting with your child’s teacher to see if they have noticed some of the same behaviors you’re seeing at home. “Partnering with them can help figure out if there’s something specific,” she says. And if reading comprehension or vocabulary seem to be the issue, Dass suggests slowing down from the chaos of afterschool activities to do a sweet activity to do together. “Read to them,” she says. “You can expose your child to a much richer vocabulary, much more complex language that they themselves are able to comfortably read, and have conversations to explain anything they don’t understand.” This story first appeared on TODAY.com. 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