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It turns out that my adolescent son might have numeric synaesthesia-- numbers have specific colors and possibly other distinguishing characteristics for him. He has shown that he can commit long sequences of numbers to memory, apparently by breaking them into three-digit chunks and then just forming a visual memory of them.

First question: sure this helps him recall numbers, but it also means there is a bit of irrelevant information attached to each number he encounters, and that could be confusing or distracting while learning math (e.g. two numbers "clash" so the answer feels wrong even though it isn't). Does anybody have any advice for me or him on good practices, on problems to be alert for, etc.?

Second question (a fun one): can anybody think of practical/entertaining things he can do with the ability to recall long strings of numbers?

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    I don't know that this forum is the place to ask your first question. I suspect there may be forums available for parents with children who have numeric synaesthesia; though you might want to consult an educational psychologist for advice on this. For your second question, that is perhaps appropriate here: it would seem that your son might do quite well with combinatorics, or perhaps more so, problems involving numeric sequences.2012-11-05
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    If you have not already, then I would suggest watching the documentary about [Daniel Tammet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Tammet).2012-11-05
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    *[Born on a Blue Day](http://www.amazon.com/Born-Blue-Day-Extraordinary-Autistic/dp/1416535071)* is an amazing book!2012-11-05

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