Learning the school ropes for students with special needs can be tough for parents. Up to 6.8 million children and youth qualify for special-education services in this country — and millions of others are on the edge.

Here are some resources:

• Starter links to state and federal special-education laws, regulations and resources:

• Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

www.k12.wa.us/specialed or 360-725-6075.

Family/educator guide

• Basic legal state guidelines

• Group for Seattle Schools' parent networking:

Seattle School District Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council. Parent group that links families, community and Seattle schools' special-ed program: seattleseaac@yahoo.com or 206-252-4759.

• Remedial summer-school programs:

• How to see your child's WASL tests.

• Free/low-cost group for advocates of Washington state students with learning and other disabilities:

Washington PAVE — nonprofit Parents Are Vital in Education. Shares information and resources and provides services including: help understanding educational system for school-age children; connections to local specialists and support groups; help as students move from school to adulthood; and personal one-to-one support for parents. Details: wwww.washingtonpave.org, 253-565-2266 or 800-5-PARENT

• Source for parents who want to their own Special Education PTA/PTSA unit:

Vancouver SEPTSA in Clark County. Currently this is the state's only SEPTA or SEPTSA unit is in Vancouver, Wash. — but this is a new direction for state and national PTA. Less than a year old, this unit helps parents connect with school and community resources for children with a variety of learning delays and needs. Program also promotes teaching special education as a career choice for other high-school students.

Details: Vancouver SEPTSA co-founders at theottons@earthlink.net, or write Vancouver Special Education PTSA, Vancouver School District Foundation, P.O. Box 8937, Vancouver, WA 98668.

Also check with local district's PTA Council, or try Washington State PTA at 253-565-2153 or 800-562-3804, www.wastatepta.org and wapta@wastatepta.org.

• National source with links for parents, advocates, educators and attorneys:

www.wrightslaw.com. Connections to newsletters and more with timely information about special-education law and advocacy. Run by East Coast attorney Pete Wright, whose childhood included dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADHD; and his wife, psychotherapist Pam Wright, co-author of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law and Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, and publisher of The Special Ed Advocate, an online special-education legal and advocacy issues newsletter.

• National site with links to information about Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):

Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE). Connects families and advocates to details U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs' information about IDEA laws. www.fape.org or 888-248-0822.

• Source for low-cost parent advocacy-training class:

Seattle University School of Law. Free one-day Aug. 20 class on campus with small lunch fee for parents who want to understand recent updates and changes to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that took effect July 1. Enrollment details: www.law.seattleu.edu/SPED

• Free source for parents seeking legal advocacy with special-education cases:

Seattle University School of Law Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic: Working under supervision of SU faculty members who are licensed attorneys, third-year law students represent up to 12 cases of limited-income, Seattle-area parents of students who are or may be disabled. Faculty members screen applicants, usually in August and December. Screening involves phone and in-office interviews. Monthly household income must be less than $2,500 to qualify. Details: 206-398-4130.