Children with autism often learn math well

Children with autism use a different part of the brain to solve problems, which is why they are often better at math than others.

Children with autism often have difficulty interacting with society and the media, but they are more likely to become scientists, and show extraordinary abilities in a field such as music and technology. arts and mathematics.

Not everyone with autism has become a mathematician, but according to a new study, children with this disease have higher-than-average math learning skills, their brain organization is slightly different from their peers. Other children, Popsci reported.

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The Stanford University team, USA, studied 36 children aged between 7 and 12, half of whom were diagnosed with autism. All participants had normal intelligence and reading skills, but the autism group did better on math tests.

When interviewing children about how to solve math problems, the expert discovered, autistic children analyzed and divided the problem into smaller parts, giving quick results without counting with fingers. hand.

After using an MRI scan from the child's brain during the test, the results show that children with autism use a different part of the brain to solve the problem. The cortex in the occipital lobe and temporal lobe is lit up, this is the area of ​​the brain involved in identifying faces and objects.

"The brain activity model in this particular area is the basis for autistic children to develop professional skills while solving math problems," said lead author Teresa Luculano.

The research is just a small scale, Teresa Luculano and colleagues are investigating the difference in math learning ability of children with autism in a larger group.