Hooked on Phonics

I don’t think it’s worth the money, especially for dyslexic children. On the DyslexiaSupport list, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single post that said this game worked.

Typically, the game is difficult for a dyslexic child and therefore not fun. The problem isn’t the degree of parent involvement, but rather the fact that it does not address the underlying difficulties a dyslexic has with sound/symbol relationships, etc.

Children who find this game fun are those who don’t need it. Some non-LD children benefit from the practice the game provides, but that’s about the extent of its benefit. And the practice can be achieved in much less expensive ways.

Mary

If the parent is willing to “really work with” the kid, then hopefully s/he is also willing to find out a little about reading.
http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba/ is a great place to do that, with ideas for teaching and lessons (and it’s all there on the internet for free ) — for something with everything laid out explicitly something like Reading Reflex or Spel-Lang Tree is ‘way cheaper and gets to the foundation skills of connecting sounds to letters. (There’s a list of ideas on the “links” section ofmy website at www.resourceroom.net)

Hooked on Phonics has had to sink an awful lot into hype and promotion… and the parent pays for it in the price tag. There are other products that do the job cheaper and more thoroughly.

Just a clarification: I often see people refer to Hooked on Phonics “HOP” as a game; I think they are confusing it with the Phonics Game. HOP (the latest version) is a kit which includes flashcards, audiocassettes, “workbooks” which are mostly word lists of the phonics families, some sight words, and some simple word games, (ex. use letter cards to form the word pat, etc.), and simple children’s books using the words they have learned in the workbooks. I noticed on their latest commercial they’ve apparently added computer games/software to the kit.

I used this program with my dyslexic son (before I knew he had dyslexia), and it did help him to learn to read, but obviously he needs more remediation than just Hooked on Phonics. If a parent has a good chunk of money they want to spend and will do HOP with a child with NO dyslexia, I would recommend it and use it for no more than 15 minutes a session. I would not recommend it for a child with dyslexia. BTW, Louisa Moats & Susan Hall in their “Straight Talk About Reading” recommend HOP for non-dyslexic children but recommend other programs for children with dyslexia (i.e. Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood Bell, etc.).

I would still recommend Reading Reflex over HOP, even for a non-dyslexic child. RR is much less expensive and much more direct in how it teaches reading. HOP is just a commercial conglomeration of reading-related junk.

Mary

Mary, I think Reading Reflex is a nice program. We did it after HOP, although my son unfortunately is still having problems with dyslexia. I just get irritated when people critique a program that they have apparently not seen and have not used. I definitely agree HOP is overpriced (as are most reading programs). For a total novice parent like myself, HOP was a user-friendly no-planning and no-organizing program which did get my son to finally begin reading (and prevented the teacher from retaining him as she had planned). I think it would be an adequate program for a child with no dyslexia and parents that don’t have a lot of experience teaching reading (as you obviously do).

In agreement: It is not worth the money.