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EARLY MATH SKILLS are the strongest predictor of likelihood to attend college , compared to reading , attention , social behavior and mental health .
research from UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA , IRVINE and UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN , MADISON
SARAH FLORES
“ She ’ s got such a love for math now .”
KARENSA FLORES
At age two and a half , Sarah Flores was diagnosed with autism , and doctors said she might never learn to speak . Her parents worked with her at home and saw progress , eventually deciding to put her in mainstream classes at Dream Lake Elementary School in Apopka , Florida . Entering third grade , “ She was just really withdrawn and socially inept ,” says her mom Karensa . “ She didn ’ t like reading , she didn ’ t like math . Just nothing .”
That all changed when Sarah met JiJi .
Dream Lake had just recently received a grant from the MIND Research Institute to implement ST Math . Sarah loved the ST Math games so much that her teacher used them as a reward for completing her reading assignments . “ I think that because autistic learners are visual , and there is no sound – it is all visual in JiJi Math – the kids just get in the zone with it ,” said Karensa . “ When you step in with programs like these , it really boosts kids ’ motivation and their desire to learn .”