Sounds like OCD

ok, this may seem weilrd, but my 15 year old daughter has the same ability. We both recently stumbled on this the other day; now I have so much fun asking her to do this...I really don't get it. I can randomly ask her how many letters are in a word or in a sentence and she will tell me and she can tell me within a few seconds like it is nothing. I have to tell you that she is annoyed by it but I cannot stop it. She is 98% plus right. It freaks me out a lot. I have to check her by countint on my fingers. She is your average 15 year old girl...she thinks I am over exagerating this new found ability...but all i can say is OH MY GOODNESS...REALLY? What is a mom to do....

I realize this was posted last year sometime, but I was just searching google for any cases of people reporting to do this. I've been able to do this since I was around 10. I don't do it as much anymore, but I still can. Almost like I did it by choice in my youth because it's not automatic. Just like riding a bike, you never forget, but I was in much better "counting" shape when I was younger and doing it more often. I could add up entire sentences in just a few seconds, just like the first answer said of her 15 year old. My tactic (I don't know if it is the same for everyone that can do this) is to word group. I picture the sentence in my head, and by doing quick calculations of the smaller, more common words (I, like, the, as, and, etc.), I would then try to add them either all together, or match them with a larger word in the sentence (ideally equaling 10 just to make the final addition easier). I have only met one other person in my life that has had this ability, a kid that I worked with about 8 years ago, same age. I was the only person he had met with the skill as well, and we both had the same method. Personally, I have always loved numbers, so I don't know if it's just some "stupid human trick", but I think it is a cool trait, and it has certainly wowed my friends and critics alike.