"The incidence of individuals with a mathematics learning disability is between 6-7% of the population." Since there are more than 300 million individuals in the United States, up to 21 million men, women, and children may be affected by this disorder. Sidney Groffman OD, MA, FCOVD, Professor Emeritus at SUNY College of Optometry, author of the article published in the December 2009 issue of Optometry & Vision Development, also says, "This is unfortunate because math skills are of prime importance in everyday life enabling us to understand number concepts and do calculations. Math ability is essential for many occupations and professions."
Dr. Dominck Maino, editor of Optometry & Vision Development says that in this article, "Dr. Groffman goes on to review a particular ability called subitizing. This is a basic skill which has been known to be a precursor of math skills." Dr. Groffman has helped to develop a subitizing vision therapy computer program that has been designed and based upon theories and experimental data appropriate for improving math skills. It consists of a diagnostic test and four therapy programs. This paper reviews subitizing and how members of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development can use this computer program to help their patients.