NILES — October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month, and a group of Niles area reading specialists are coming together to promote reading disorder awareness and free reading assessments.

Ann Landgraf is leading the group of five reading specialists to host an informational session titled “Why Children Struggle to Learn to Read” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the Niles District Library, 620 E. Main St.

After, each specialist will be available to schedule appointments for free reading assessments for first- to 12th-grade students from Oct. 22 to Nov. 22.

Each participating instructor is trained to identify reading disorders and work to improve the reading skills of those that have them. Landgraf herself has 20 years of experience diagnosing and remediating reading disorders by teaching those who have them.

Her event is meant for parents whose children have a reading disorder or for parents who think their children may have one.

“They will learn what causes reading disabilities, the actual brain mechanisms, and learn about the way that these children need to be taught in order to learn to read,” Landgraf said.

The presentation will also explain the basic brain processing that occurs in both neurotypical and non-neurotypical readers.

She said that reading disorders can often go undiagnosed, but telltale signs like poor report card grades and lower reading levels can create a hunch. The prevalence of such disorders was the main reason why she decided to put on the informational session and free assessments.

Landgraf was formerly an interventional specialist at Niles Community Schools, and she now runs her own private practice. She said many teachers approached her on methods to help teach reading to those with reading disorders. It is something not often taught in college, she said.

“They wanted to know how to teach reading to these difficult readers, because 17 to 20 percent of readers struggle to learn to read,” Landgraf said, citing a 2003 study by Yale University professor Sally Shaywitz. “So, that puts five to six in every classroom. They wanted to know what to do.”

Some of those teachers began tutoring students with reading disabilities themselves, and a few of them are now assisting Landgraf in her Dyslexia Awareness Month venture.

Landgraf said she appreciates the commitment to service her fellow instructors are willing to commit.

“It was amazing,” she said. “It was one text, and they were like, ‘We’re in.’ It’s going to involve a month-worth of volunteering. I added it up, and we’ll offer 188 hours’ worth of reading assessments between the five of us.”

Each free reading assessment will take between 20 minutes and an hour. Some instructors host sessions in their office. Others, such as Landgraf, can meet at the Niles District Library.

If parents or guardians decide to pursue meetings with the instructors, they may do so after the assessment. Landgraf’s typically run twice a week, and she encourages parents to attend the first few sessions with their children to get to know her and to see where their children are.

Those who want to schedule a free assessment but are unable to make the library event can do so by emailing Nilesdyslexiaawareness@gmail.com.