Any premature instruction arrests development. I find this quote confusing. It sounds like a farfetched idea. Children like counting. Which jibes nicely with the goals annunciated in the NCTM Standrads.
Technology is also available.
A competition was held between a United States executive using a calculator and an Asian businessman using the ancient abacus. While the American poked around trying to find the plus button, the Asian smoothly manipulated the wooden beans and water buffalo horn pegs. Alexander Bogomolny 2789749 .