Reading comprehension and arithmetic computation are core components of academic ability in children. How they are learned and their neuro-cognitive foundations have long been key topics in pedagogy, psychology, educational neuroscience, and learning science. Previous research has predominantly focused on the cognitive mechanisms underlying reading comprehension or arithmetic computation from a disciplinary domain-specific perspective. The visual form-perception hypothesis, grounded in a disciplinary domain-general perspective, posits that visual form perception serves as a shared cognitive foundation for both reading and arithmetic abilities in children, with the lateral occipital complex potentially being a key brain region involved in language ability, mathematical ability and visual form perception This hypothesis not only advances theories regarding the cognitive neural basis underlying the development of reading comprehension and arithmetic computation, but also offers novel insights for teaching--learning theories and educational practices. Future research should explore the visual form perception hypothesis through longitudinal studies, investigations into cognitive mechanisms, and causality assessments