Hooked on Phonics review: Great tutoring app for learning disabilities

For the past 35 years, Hooked on Phonics
(available at Hooked on Phonics)

has taught more than 35 million children to read. Now available as an app that includes lessons in reading, spelling, and math, more parents than ever are turning to Hooked on Phonics to supplement their children’s education, including parents of kids who struggle with a learning disability.

As the mother of a son who has a learning disability, I noticed that reading has never come easily to him. Yet, when I’ve turned to app-based learning for assistance, I found most educational apps to either be boring and unenticing, or too game-based to be educational.

Now that I have a new learner in the house in our kindergarten-age son, I decided to give Hooked on Phonics a try. Never having used this program before, would its guarantee to teach kids to read in just 30 days prove true? And better yet, would it be equally helpful in teaching my son with a learning disability to master this challenging skill?

What is Hooked on Phonics?

Hooked on Phonics is an app-based program designed for children pre-K through second grade. It’s focused on three core areas: reading, spelling, and math. Beginning with identifying letters and the sounds they make, children move along at their own pace through songs, audio storybooks, and games.

As children progress in their learning, they begin to identify how letters create words, and eventually, how words lead to reading. The spelling and math apps work in a similar fashion, starting with the basics and advancing as a child learns, all while keeping the process fun and encouraging.

The three-app package costs $6.99 per month and can be used for up to three learners. There is also an option to subscribe to the app and practice packs program for $15.98 per month. Practice packs include monthly, mailed, hands-on workbooks, as well as story books, stickers, and other fun activities.

Does Hooked on Phonics have a specific program for kids who have a learning disability?

Hooked on Phonics does not have a specific program for kids who have a learning disability, however the company does share on its support pages that “while Hooked on Phonics was not created specifically for children with learning challenges, we hear every day from parents who are using the program with their children with a wide range of learning differences with great success. We encourage you to give it a try to determine if the program will be a fit for your child.”

The company would also like to remind parents that, although the program is geared towards kids of all educational skillsets, “we encourage you to take the program for a test drive to determine if it will be helpful for your child. Have peace of mind knowing our offer comes with a 30-day, money-back guarantee so if you determine it will not be a good fit, we’ll refund you, no questions asked.”

After speaking with Anna Callegari, a professional licensed educator and learning behavior specialist, she explained that “students who require interventions with their academic skills can benefit from specialized programs—such as Hooked on Phonics—that implement techniques to increase word recognition and reading, which is the foundation of all literacy skills.

“By utilizing structured instruction without the need for a classroom teacher,” she says, “students expand their knowledge and move continuously towards new skills.”

A Hooked on Phonics review from a learning disability perspective

When signing up for the app and practice packs program, the first step involved downloading a set of three Hooked on Phonics apps (reading, spelling, and math), which took less than 10 minutes to install.

After the downloads finished, the reading app asked me a series of questions about what my child did and did not already know, and then it recommended the grade level at which we should start. From there, the lessons on the apps began using straightforward directions to guide my boys through various learning games and exercises, educational songs, and storybooks.

Lessons moved at each kid’s own speed, progressing only when a skillset had been mastered. Lacking the option to stray off course, my learning-disabled learner didn’t have much choice but to go along with the program even if he got bored. Taking in the careful blend of entertainment and education, both of my kids used the program for roughly 30 minutes each day before it lost their attention. However, both kids continuously asked to use the app every day, which tells me they enjoyed it.

As the adult applicant, I received weekly emails from Hooked on Phonics that provided an in-depth report on how well my sons understood the lessons and grasped the concepts. The report also explained what they needed to work on. It was both interesting and helpful to see exactly where they were in their educational skillsets so I could praise them for what they were excelling in, while focusing my attention on assisting them in areas where they struggled.

The reading and math practice packs arrived by mail about two weeks after signup, each including a well-designed workbook, two first-reader books, and stickers. I found myself appreciating these well-thought-out workbooks more than I thought I would. My younger son eagerly worked his way through the math workbook, only getting frustrated when I suggested we don’t do the entire book at once. My only complaint regarding the materials is that the sticker sheet felt flimsy.

What we liked about Hooked on Phonics for kids who have a learning disability

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hooked on Phonics, but even with that mindset, some of the program’s positives surprised me.

Its Interactive lessons don’t overwhelm

For kids who require engaging lessons, the Hooked on Phonics app will draw them right in. Utilizing bold, colorful graphics, the lessons are almost entirely interactive and don’t require kids to sit and listen to lengthy videos. For my son this active style was a huge benefit, because his learning disability means he often can’t sit and wait his turn. At the same time the platform isn’t overly busy, completely forgoing background noise, non-necessary graphics, and customizable interfaces.

Callegari highly praises this benefit, explaining that “having a straightforward platform for learning is more sustainable. The more ‘flair’ a learning platform has does not mean it is necessarily better. When there is less jargon and distractions, children with learning disabilities perform better because there is an increased focus on what is being learned and taught,” she explains.

The apps have learning-disability-friendly features

Hooked on Phonics may not have been created for children who have learning disabilities, but its apps utilize many of the same therapeutic learning techniques often implemented to assist children with a learning disability. For example, if a direction was missed or not understood, there’s an option to have it repeated, which is great for kids who struggle with attention or auditory processing.

The app also tracks how many times a child incorrectly answers a question, and if needed, suggests it might be time to take a brain break before continuing. This feature is perfect for preventing the frustration that children with learning disabilities may face when struggling to grasp a tough concept.

The lessons encourage educational self-esteem

Having a learning disability is a known cause for low self-esteem among students, because when they struggle to keep up with their peers, they also struggle to feel confident in themselves. However, obtaining the necessary support for these kids can be challenging when not all school districts provide quality special education services, and hiring a tutor can be pricey.

This is why I found Hooked on Phonics to be a great supplement for in-person teaching assistance. Agreeing with my perspective, Callegari also shares that “when a student feels involved with the learning process, the more confident that child will become.”

What we didn’t like about Hooked on Phonics for kids who have a learning disability

Although I found Hooked on Phonics can offer many benefits to kids who have a learning disability, there are a few issues that make the platform frustrating to work with.

The app is glitchy

One of the most frustrating aspects of using the Hooked on Phonics apps is that I find them to be quite glitchy. For example, my son was working through a lesson that involved dragging a letter into a specific space, and no matter what he did, the letter would only drag halfway across the screen and then fall back into its original place.

When my husband and I tried to rectify the issue by using two hands, restarting the app, restarting the computer, and using the app on a different computer, the lesson always reopened at the same spot with the same problem, and it was very difficult to get past.

In another lesson my son successfully spelled the word “kid,” but the app continuously told him it was incorrect and to keep trying, not allowing him to progress until he “correctly” spelled the word. Since the word was spelled correctly, we got stuck in that level for quite a long time until the app randomly announced he had done a good job and moved him forward.

Especially if you’re trying to teach kids, apps shouldn’t have errors in their own lessons. This happened enough times that it was hard to ignore.

It’s difficult to reach customer service

Before even beginning this review, I realized Hooked on Phonics has less than stellar customer service when I could not reach anyone at the company. My emails to their customer service address went unanswered.

I waited for several hours in their online support chat and never got past the “an agent will be with your shortly” message. My comment on their Facebook page asking how I could get in contact with someone resulted in an automated private message offering me a discount for signing up. At one point when I needed to reset my account password, the reset email code took hours to arrive, much to the dismay of my eager learner.

Eventually I did receive an email response and did get the chat to work, but I still found the customer service to be quite lacking in the actual service department. Weeks later I’m still waiting for its PR department to send me the rest of the materials I was supposed to be reviewing.

Would I recommend Hooked on Phonics for kids who have a learning disability?

Yes, but without the practice packs

Although Hooked on Phonics guarantees to have your child reading in 30 days, its makers’ definition of “reading” seems a bit vague. At the end of our 30-day trial period, my kindergarten-age son had not yet learned how to “read” as I would define it, and I definitely don’t think my son who has a learning disability would have learned to read in that time period either.

That said, I did see huge gains in my younger son’s ability to recognize letter sounds, sound out words, and execute his math skills. For my son who has a learning disability, even though his reading skills when we started were beyond what the app is designed to teach, he engaged with it enough for me to clearly see he benefited from its design, style, and programming better than any of the other educational apps we have tried.

For those reasons, I have no problem recommending the Hooked on Phonics program as a great educational supplement for kids who have a learning disability; so long as you’re willing to put up with the occasional glitch.

It is important to note, though, that while I do highly recommend the Hooked on Phonics app subscription, I do not recommend the additional practice packs subscription. Although well designed, you can buy a workbook on Amazon that features more in-depth lessons without a monthly subscription.