Short answer: a great deal. Wrightslaw explains the law for free, every state has a federally funded Parent Training and Information Center that will talk to you at no cost, and the single highest-leverage thing a parent can do — putting concerns in writing before the meeting — is free. Paying makes sense when you need your specific document reviewed, or a person in the room. Not before.
We sell IEP software. This page is about what you can get without buying any, including ours, because most parents who feel unprepared are short on information rather than on representation.
| Resource | Best for | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Wrightslaw | What the law requires | Nothing specific to your child |
| Your state PTI | State rules, a real human on the phone | Capacity varies by state |
| Understood.org | Vocabulary and orientation | Broad, not deep |
| A Day in Our Shoes | Scripts and templates | One person's perspective |
| COPAA directory | Finding vetted human help | Listing is not vetting |
The most comprehensive free legal reference for special education in the United States — the full text of IDEA, Section 504, case law, and analysis written for parents rather than lawyers.
Start here: their explanation of measurable annual goals. It is the single piece of reading that most changes how a parent reads their own paperwork.
Where it stops: it is a library, not a guide. There is a lot of it, the site is dated, and none of it is about your child. You have to know what you are looking for.
Every state has at least one PTI, funded under IDEA specifically to help parents of children with disabilities. They are free. They run workshops, answer questions by phone and email, and publish the timelines and procedures that apply in your state.
This is the most underused free resource in special education. Federal law sets a floor and many states are stricter — your PTI knows which.
Find yours: search your state's name plus "parent training and information center".
Where it stops: capacity varies enormously. Some are excellent and answer the same day; others have a long callback queue.
Plain-language explainers on learning differences, ADHD, IEPs and 504 plans.
Best for: the first months after a diagnosis, when the vocabulary itself is the obstacle.
Where it stops: it will explain what a present level is. It will not tell you whether yours is any good.
A long-running, parent-written site covering the IEP process in practical detail, with letter templates and meeting scripts.
Best for: the procedural questions nobody official will answer — what to actually say when the district says no, what to actually write.
Where it stops: one person's perspective and voice. Enormously useful, but not legal advice.
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates maintains a searchable directory of advocates and attorneys.
Best for: finding qualified human help when you have decided you need it.
Where it stops: a directory listing is not a vetting. You still have to interview.
Put your concerns in writing and send them before the meeting. It costs nothing, it takes twenty minutes, and it changes the meeting — because a written concern creates a record the team has to respond to, rather than a comment that gets noted and moved past.
Ask for the draft IEP in advance too. You are entitled to review it before you are asked to agree to it, and reading it cold in the room is how parents end up agreeing to things they did not intend to.
Three situations where free resources genuinely run out:
For what paid help costs, see our guide to IEP advocate costs: independent advocates typically run $100–$400 per hour and attorneys $300–$600+.
If what you need is the document review specifically, we compare the software options — ours included, with its limitations — in Best IEP Help Tools for Parents.
Read Wrightslaw on measurable goals. Call your state PTI. Ask for the draft IEP in advance and send your concerns in writing. That sequence is free, and it resolves more situations than most parents expect.
Pay when you have a specific document you cannot judge, or a district that will not move.