Toddler obsessed with numbers . Is this normal?

Hi. I could write reams about him, but long story short he’s doing really well. Academically on track at a mainstream school, has lots of good friends and doing pretty much everything his peers do, albeit in his own time and way. Most of all he’s happy. He still has a very restricted diet, and we have to work around his needs (like if we got to a busy crowded concert we make sure he has lots of decompression time the next day to just stim and get into his special interests) but I don’t really worry about him the way I used to. He had an extremely difficult few years at the start of his school life but at the moment he’s settled and I have every reason to think he’ll lead a happy and fulfilling adult life, whatever he decides that looks like for him. He moved from Thomas the Tank Engine to an encyclopaedic knowledge of Formula 1 and various Nintendo games!

I hope things work out well for your son.

Hi i dont know if youll see this now but your son aounds exactly like my 2.5 year old. How is your son now? I know you mentioned hes less obbessed with numbers. Is he in main stream and coping ok? Sorry to ask, you just worry so much what their future looks like

My DP was apparently like this. He did a maths degree. He has dyslexia and numbers are just what he's better at. Not autistic just very very good at maths.

My dd was like this, she learned numbers and shapes very early and seemed a bit obsessed with them, she was always calling out numbers in shops and stuff from about age 2. She grew out of it and now has no particular affinity for maths, mores the pity.

My DS was the same when he was younger, mostly prompted by a love for number blocks. He’s 7 now and still loves maths

Hi OP,

My DS was like this with letters, but at 18 months.

The advice that I got at the time was that this was just very early development in one area of his thinking. They said the important thing was to realise that he had already done all the development in that area that he needed to do before starting school, and that he did not need to do more work until starting school. They said that the important thing next was to help him to develop all the other stuff, so he would grow up balanced.

So I was told to concentrate on all the other stuff like walking and eye contact and understanding jokes and conversation and dancing and eating all that normal stuff. I was just to leave the reading entirely.

I found that quite helpful. Oddly when he got to school in his single form entry state primary, there was another child the same who was much more advanced in the same skill. Both kids (and me) ASD but okay.

I hope that helps a bit.

I do like pretending to be zero though. That can be fun.

My DD age 3 is the same, always interested in numbers and looking for them on doors, lampposts etc but since she started watching numberblocks it’s taken her over! She is very advanced with reading too though. But I wish she had never seen that show, I hated maths at school and I don’t want to talk about it now! I am not interested in numbers, but now I have to pretend to be one all day and talk about times tables. What is 9 x 8? I don’t care 😂

Oh good grief! That is one heck of a leap!

People are obsessed with autism these days.
Not everything unexplained is autism.

My son was the same with numbers from an early age. He’s now 19 and studying maths and physics at university. He isn’t autistic.

DS2 aged 17 was always lining things up equal spaces apart. Very tidy and particular. Very frustrated and angry as a child. I put it down to starting school too early (just turned 4) and wasn’t very good socially. Starting them a year later wasn’t an option at that point. Studying A Level Psychology. Not autistic.

I count everything. Cows in a field even though I know there’s always 17. Raindrops on a window. A train passes with cars and vans on and Incount the cars and colours and then they mix them up and I have to look away as it drives me mad. Not autistic.

I have had 2 pupils who I taught to drive that were autistic. If they hadn’t told me, I’d never have known. Just normal kids. Neither academic.

He could be a savant? Any other signs ?

My 3 year old (a few months off 4) absolutely loves numbers, especially the times tables. He can easily add, subtract, multiply, divide, solve simple equations etc... My older child is in primary school and some of the maths the younger one does is about a year 3 level! I've known a few kids who have loved numbers at a young age and I don't think it's an unusual interest in preschoolers. It just looks a bit surprising when they have this interest but are also very bright and so grasp things you wouldn't expect them to get at this age. My son has really got into it via Number Blocks. I am not worried about it and I don't think you need to worry. It's a good interest to have!

Sounds better than being obsessed with poo.

Ok so the number version is called hypernumeracy

It could be nothing and just an interest. A friend's son was obsessed with numbers and letters at that age and was diagnosed with hyperlexia (and later transpires he's autistic).

Maybe read up on that. I'm not sure if it can be just numbers.

My son was the same at that age. It’s just an interesting topic to them because it’s a way of making sense of the world. Your little one sounds bright - nothing to be concerned about and there is no such thing as ‘number autism’! He just has an area of particular interest which he has focused on.

You don’t have to be autistic to be clever!!!!!! Also even if he’s autistic- sounds like he’s enjoying life, you need to enjoy your child’s successes and be proud of him

Water that seed op! Give him what he wants and see how he flies.

My nephew is one of the most maths gifted kids in the country, already down for university and he is 9. Go for it!

My son was similar to that. He is now 11 and significantly above average at maths (120 on his Sats, at the top of the top set in secondary) but nothing extreme. He has two parents with 3 grade As at A level maths between them so it isn’t surprising.

As far as we know he isn’t neurodiverse although he is a bit quirky.

My son was/is like this and is autistic. Of course autism is a number of traits and not just one. I remember at peak obsession trying to get him to paint or play with playdough and he would just paint/make numbers with those. But it's still good for fine motor skills and fun.

My DS was like this too. He's 5 now and still loves maths. It's not a huge surprise given that most of this family are very mathematical.

Sounds like hyper numeracy. It can be a sign of autism but isn't necessarily. My DS2 was like that; at that age he was making infinity signs and maths puzzles out of Lego blocks. He doesn't have autism but he does have dyslexia. My DS3 had hyperlexia and could say the alphabet forward and backwards at age 3 plus read simple books. He isn't autistic either. Your child will probably be very good at maths at school.

It's really cool that he's found something that excites and enthuses him.

Who knows where it might lead - enjoy!

Your language seems to imply that neurodiversity is a disease that needs correcting. 'red flag' 'wary' 'concern' 'intervention'. It's not Cancer.