How we choose, check, and label what’s here

How sources are selected

Guides lean on primary and official sources first: the agency that runs a program (TennCare, TEIS, the Tennessee Department of Education, the Social Security Administration), federal law and regulations, professional bodies (ASHA, AAP), and peer-reviewed research. Where the evidence is thin or contested, the guide says so in plain words rather than rounding it up to certainty. We do not cite sources we could not open and read, and we do not use AI-generated citations.

How program and provider details are verified

Eligibility, costs, deadlines, and contact details are checked against the official page and dated on the card or guide. Directory facts — services, settings, ages, insurance — come from each provider’s own website or from what the provider told us directly; when the two disagree, the card says “confirm when you call.” Owner confirmations beat website research; nothing unverified is filled in with a guess. Prices and wait times change and are labeled that way.

What “last reviewed” means

The date on a guide or card is the last time a person re-read it against its sources and either confirmed or corrected it. It is not a promise that nothing has changed since — programs change their rules without telling us — so treat it as a freshness signal and confirm anything that matters for your family.

A listing, a Village Pick, and an endorsement are three different things

• A listing means a provider exists, serves our area, and its details were checked. It is not a recommendation. Listings are never paid.
• A Village Pick means local families keep recommending that provider from first-hand experience. It is never bought, never traded, and never given for a single mention; the affiliated practice that runs this site is not eligible for it. We have deliberately not published a fixed minimum count or time window yet, and say so on the directory page.
• An endorsement is something we don’t do. Google ratings shown on cards are an outside signal from Google users, labeled as such.
• “Featured first” in a category means we pinned one listing to the top for a non-paid reason we can state (for example, the only local program of its kind, or a program families specifically asked us to surface). Pinning is a layout choice, not a rating.

Who pays for this, and who doesn’t

Our Special Village is owned and operated by Little Luminaries Therapy Services, PLLC. Resources are free, provider listings are not paid, and clinic affiliation does not affect directory placement — the practice’s own listings carry a visible Affiliated practice marker. There are no paid provider placements, no sponsored editorial recommendations, and no third-party ad networks. If community supporters are ever featured, they are labeled clearly, and support never changes what we list or write.

How to submit a correction

Email hello@ourspecialvillagetn.com or use the contact form. Tell us the page, what’s wrong, and — if you have it — the source that shows the right answer. Corrections to facts are made as soon as they are confirmed; when a correction changes advice, the guide’s reviewed date moves and the change is noted in the site’s build notes.