Does the child in TZP need the help of a psychologist?

YES!! and YES!!

Psychologists deal with emotional problems-TRUE!!

But how do you think that a child will be diagnosed with a learning disability such as dyslexia, disorder of written expression, math disorder, (yes all these do exist!), mental retardation, or ADHD?Not everyone has an Aamir Khan working in their school to recognize that a child is any of the above. Morever, even if they did, that is no way of labeling a child with certainty!

The truth is that there are several (thousands and thousands) of tests that will aid in the process and help a clinician come to that conclusion. Yes! It is ONLY a clinician or a psychologist that is allowed to administer these tests, not a teacher, not a parent, not a neighbor or a layman, NOT the internet, either.

Some of these tests including the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and the Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement. It takes hours to administer the test, there are set protocols for doing so, the tests are normed for certain population through standardized procedures, and only people with certain credentials (read psychologists) are allowed to administer, score, and write up reports on the results.

Moreover, the psychologist will work with the parents on extending their support and giving them pointers on how to help their child and accelerate his/her progress. Apart from that, the psychologist will also work with the school and teachers on recommending some special services and accommodations for the child so that he/she can perform to the best of their ability despite their weakness. And last of all, the psychologist may choose to work with the child on their self esteem!!

Cutting a long story short...the child in TZP needs the help of a psychologist. I would not have minded helping him as long as Aamir Khan had continued to be his teacher!