How old is your son?

When you say "What is 1 and 2 more" and your son answers 12, have him do it on the abacus and see if the answer is still 12 (which it's not!). Can he see that the previous answer of 12 is incorrect?

Another thought: he use the math way of counting, right? If he answers 12, ask him what the "other" name for 12 is [ten two, although my children say one-ten two]. Would that trigger that 1 + 2 isn't 12?

Kathleen

My son is 7 1/2.

Good ideas for helping him understand. I'll definitely give them a try. Thanks!!

How does he do in other subjects? Is there a chance he knows the answer, but giving you an impossible answer because he's bored or "messing" with you?

Keep us posted. I'm curious to hear how he does. I find myself rolling this situation around in my thoughts, so I'd like to hear "the rest of the story".

Kathleen

This may not be the rest of the story, but it is an update...

My son does pretty well in most subjects. I didn't mention before that he is deaf, though he does have cochlear implants. So, hearing is no longer a problem, but complex language can still be troublesome.

I don't think he's "messing" with me, but I do think his mindset has a lot to do with it. We do math with his younger brother, who comes by math very easily. I notice that when his brother has an off day, he suddenly has much stronger math skills.

I have been using the abacus more, and I can see some improvement. I wouldn't say the problem is solved, but it has only been a couple weeks, so I'm encouraged. Thanks again for the insight. Hopefully with some games this summer, he will be more on-track before we begin Level C.

Blessings, Amy