diff --git a/site_map.admin.inc b/site_map.admin.inc
index 98c97aa..a6d6205 100644
--- a/site_map.admin.inc
+++ b/site_map.admin.inc
@@ -114,6 +114,12 @@ function site_map_admin_settings_form() {
     '#type' => 'fieldset',
     '#title' => t('Categories settings'),
   );
+  $form['site_map_taxonomy_options']['site_map_count_children'] = array(
+    '#type' => 'checkbox',
+    '#title' => t('Counts node of children categories'),
+    '#default_value' => variable_get('site_map_count_children', 0),
+    '#description' => t('When enabled, this option will count the number of nodes of children terms in each taxonomy term.'),
+  );
   $form['site_map_taxonomy_options']['site_map_show_count'] = array(
     '#type' => 'checkbox',
     '#title' => t('Show node counts by categories'),
diff --git a/site_map.module b/site_map.module
index fe1756e..af529f1 100644
--- a/site_map.module
+++ b/site_map.module
@@ -514,8 +514,10 @@ function _site_map_taxonomy_tree($vid, $name = NULL, $description = NULL) {
 
   // taxonomy_get_tree() honors access controls.
   $tree = taxonomy_get_tree($vid);
+  $count_children = variable_get('site_map_count_children');
   foreach ($tree as $term) {
-    $term->count = site_map_taxonomy_term_count_nodes($term->tid);
+    //$term->count = site_map_taxonomy_term_count_nodes($term->tid);
+	 $term->count = site_map_taxonomy_term_count_nodes($term->tid, $count_children);
     if ($term->count <= $threshold) {
       continue;
     }
@@ -609,15 +611,39 @@ function _site_map_taxonomy_tree($vid, $name = NULL, $description = NULL) {
  *  @return string
  *   An integer representing a number of nodes. Results are statically cached.
  */
-function site_map_taxonomy_term_count_nodes($tid) {
+function site_map_taxonomy_term_count_nodes($tid, $count_children) {
+  $tids = array($tid);
+
+  if ($count_children){
+    site_map_taxonomy_get_term_children_ids($tid, $tids);
+  }
   $query = db_select('taxonomy_index', 'ti');
   $query->addExpression('COUNT(ti.nid)');
   $count = $query
-    ->condition('ti.tid', $tid)
+    ->condition('ti.tid', $tids)
     ->execute()->fetchCol();
   return $count[0];
 }
 
+/**
+ * Retrieve ids of term children .
+ *
+ * @param $tid
+ *   The term's ID.
+ * @param $tids
+ *   An array where ids of term children will be added
+ */
+function site_map_taxonomy_get_term_children_ids($tid, &$tids) {
+  $children = taxonomy_get_children($tid);
+  if (!empty($children))
+  {
+    foreach($children as $child)
+    {
+      $tids[] = $child->tid;
+      site_map_taxonomy_get_term_children_ids($child->tid, $tids);
+    }
+  }
+}
 
 /**
  * This is a clone of the core menu_tree_output() function with the exception