Q: I read your column every time it appears in our local newspaper. I truly enjoy it and respect your advice.

I am writing because we have a 9-year-old grandson who just entered the fourth grade. Up until now, he has done well in school. He is very likable, talkative and bright. Since the start of this school year, however, he's appeared to have a problem. He's leaving his homework at home or undone, and says that he's just not liking school. Mom and dad can't get specifics out of his usually talkative self. We're perplexed and worried.

I remember you recommending a publication to another family not long ago. If you have written one yourself, or you can recommend one for our family, we would greatly appreciate it. With junior high coming up quickly, we'd like to get a handle on this problem.

A: You are surely observing the first signs of underachievement in your grandson, but there could be many causes for his problem. A child who has always been talkative and happy in school, who suddenly avoids and forgets homework and changes his attitude, is surely telling you that he's having a problem. If mom and dad can't get specific details from him, they can probably start by arranging an appointment with his teacher. Her observations of his school behavior could provide insight and answers for you. For example, she might observe that he's having some problems with other students or that someone may be bullying him. She might also mention that more homework is expected this year than during the past school years or that the work is substantially harder than in the past. His parents might notice that his new teacher is firmer than his former teachers.

Listening to what his teacher has observed will help the parents figure out how to address his problem. After hearing the teacher's perspective, it would be important for mom and dad to share with the teacher their son's change in attitude. After they have brought the problem to the teacher's attention, she will likely make some suggestions or offer to get back to the parents after she's had time to observe your grandson more closely.

If the teacher has observed a friendship problem, sometimes she may be able to easily handle it in the classroom. If he is finding the work too easy or too hard, the teacher may also be able to help your grandson adjust. It would be helpful if your grandson could explain what's changed, but often children don't really know what has gone wrong for them. Instead, they may respond exactly as your grandson has by avoiding doing work, forgetting to do assignments, losing them and becoming generally disorganized. "Boring" is often the word kids use to describe what they don't understand. "Boring" can mean: "It's too easy or too hard," "I'm not the smartest kid in the class anymore," "I hate to write," "I think the teacher doesn't like me," "I can't pay attention" or "Video games are more fun." It could also be that a sister or brother at home is seemingly getting more attention.

The book that I've written that could be helpful to you or your grandson's parents is "Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades and What You Can Do About It" (Great Potential Press, 2008), and it's available on my website at www.sylviarimm.com

For free newsletters about underachievement, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, learning disabilities, social skills and/or bullying, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address below. Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com. Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or [email protected]. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.