Mathematics is one of these subjects that people either love or hate. The reason for hating it often goes back to primary school where they failed maths tests early on and subsequently developed a belief system that they couldn’t do Maths. Why is that and can this be prevented and remedied?

For most children, learning to count is a joyful process and by the time they enter primary school, these children can:

• count out loud
• count on their fingers
• understand the idea of addition and subtraction
• work out simple additions and subtractions on their fingers

However, counting on fingers is too slow and too limited for most calculations, so it is important to learn to manipulate numbers in your head. This process is often referred to as Mental Maths (MM) and for this, the brain requires a certain level of MM readiness.

Unfortunately, in many schools MM skills are only tested, not taught. Consequently, if a child fails the MM test, they often have a problem with Mathematics from that day onwards, unless of course the underlying problems are identified and addressed.

Why is Mental Maths more difficult than counting?

Mental Maths is a much more complicated skill than counting. It requires the ability to:

• make pictures of objects in your head, such as 3 monkeys, 5 ice creams, 8 fingers
• manipulate these pictures by adding or taking it away from it
• translate numbers into symbols
• translate symbols into words
• translate words into pictures

To successfully perform these skills, you need to be able to access many areas in the brain simultaneously. In a normal developing brain, whole brain and sensory integration is completed usually around the age of 8 and that is often the age that MM is introduced, so what could possibly go wrong?

What can interfere with the process of brain development?

Toxins can interfere with brain function and brain communication. The amount of toxins in our environment and diet have increased dramatically over the last 50 years. Many of these toxins are fat soluble and can therefore be stored in the brain where they can interfere with Brain function.

This can lead to neuro-developmental delay, retaining of Primitive Reflexes, Autism & Autism spectrum disorders, learning & behaviour problems, speech delay as well as brain & sensory integration problems.

Children who had speech delay or a problem in their speech development early-on, often develop learning problems in primary school later-on. Many school subjects involve some degree of language and Mathematics is one of them. MM can therefore also be a problem for these children, as they need to translate words into symbols and vice versa.

How can we do find out more about these toxins?

Functional Pathology testing can help to identify whether toxins are causing a problem and if so, which toxins and in what amount.

DNA testing can show whether the body’s detoxification pathways are compromised. The severity of the problem in brain function often corresponds with the nature and severity of the toxic load.

What can we do about this?

Once the problems are identified, Targeted Individualised Nutrition Therapy for the Recovery of Autism is in my experience the best therapy to address them.

This therapy was designed to:

• help remove these toxins from the brain
• support the body’s ability to deal with toxins
• find the best diet for the child’s genes, toxic load and gut health

The nutrients required for this process are specialised nutrients, i.e. they are not available in Supermarkets and Health Food stores. They are especially made for the purpose of improving brain function in children through supporting the brain’s cellular metabolisms. They are easy to administer and best of all, the results have been amazing (see testimonials).

After the toxins have been removed, brain function and brain connectivity need to be improved. Integrative therapy and Brain Gym® are therapies that have shown to be successful in achieving this.

When all areas in the brain required for Mental Maths are accessible, any missing prerequisite skills can now be learned and new skills can then be built upon these prerequisite skills.

The LiveMaths method is designed to ensure that all children:

• have the required prerequisite skills
• feel confident about their ability to learn Maths
• have fun and feel involved in the learning process
• are in the most integrated, switched-on state for learning new Maths skills

The LiveMaths method was designed for the prevention of Maths problems, but it can also be used for the remediation of Maths problems. One of my clients, a 65-year-old grandmother, did the LiveMaths method just to prove to herself that she could learn to do Mathematics and went on to complete high school mathematics just for the fun of it!

Is there anything we can do to be in the best possible state to learn (Mental) Mathematics?

Yes, before learning any new (Mental) Mathematics skills, you can improve brain and sensory integration through a special integration process. There are also specific Brain Gym® activities that can be done to switch on the brain just before the start of a Maths lesson. Australian Bush Flower Essences can help deal with fear of failure, low self-esteem and other negative emotions resulting from having failed Mental Maths tests in the past. They can bring the brain into a relaxed state where new learning is possible.

This way every child can enjoy learning Mathematics and build confidence as they progress, which is good both for their self-esteem and emotional wellbeing.

The LiveMaths method is available for Face-to-Face and online consultations.

Special offer: If you have any queries, please contact me for a free half hour introductory consultation by phone: 61-8-83794755, mobile: 0423763273 or email: akoelman@ozemail.com.au.