Over the last two years, COVID has been unpredictable and the root of many events being canceled. For many people, these cancellations are annoying- but nothing else. But for some members of our community, they are life-altering. This specifically impacts kids with cognitive disabilities who have struggled throughout the pandemic as they’ve had little to no access to events that offer them a social connection with their neuro-typical peers. This past weekend, a long-awaited event took place and as expected, was a success for both the volunteers and the participants. 

The ACEing Autism organization was established in Boston, MA, in the summer of 2008 by Richard Spurling & Dr. Shafali Jeste in the hopes of enhancing the lives of its’ 15 autistic participants. Through involvement in six-weekend tennis clinics, children between the ages of five and 18 can develop motor skills, hand-eye coordination, build confidence and improve their general socialization, all within a fun, controlled environment. The clinics are staffed by trained program directors, coaches, and volunteers who lead participants through tennis drills, skills, and games, advancing each step based on each individual.

Although the program’s primary focus is to ensure the progress of the participants, an equally important component for the success of ACEing Autism is that of the volunteers, as it is they who have the most interaction with the kids. Volunteers can expect full training to ensure their tennis skills are polished, so no need to shy away if you’re not “pro-Esque.” Although there are hundreds of volunteers, there were over 20 people scheduled to work in this weekend’s South Florida clinics. The clinics are going to take place every week for the next six weeks in Weston and support the development of approximately 20 kids. The ages of the volunteers ranged from sixteen to fifty, and the children were all under eighteen. One of the volunteers, Jessie Schiller, looked forward to participating for the second year in a row. “Through ACEing Autism, I have been able to create lifelong memories not only with the children but also the volunteers. Everyone from the employees to the volunteers come to the clinics with a smile and are ready to work. It’s an enjoyable day for everyone involved.” 

After experiencing my first ever clinic, I can say with confidence that Aceing Autism is a memorable experience for all involved. I, along with another volunteer, were assigned a child. The child I was assigned was non-verbal, which changed the entire dynamic of the program; but because of the different protocols and the ability to adapt the program to every child’s needs, this didn’t alter our ability to work with him. Aceing autism has a seven step plan for each session, which is done on purpose to create routine for the children. These steps start easier- with a simple warmup- and then they progress to more challenging tasks such as backhand and forehand shots. The entire goal of these sessions is to connect to your child in whatever way possible, and they hope it’s through tennis. But, the boy I was assigned to didn’t really love the routine of only tennis and being stationary for a lot of the time, so we altered the program to better suit him and allow him to enjoy the session. The session went well once we were able to make the program fun for every single kid, and the next five weeks will be an opportunity to better build a connection with every child and every volunteer. 

Since its inception, ACEing Autism has supported thousands of participants. It has expanded to Los Angeles, New York, Fort Lauderdale, Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Diego, New Orleans, Nashville, and Indianapolis. And hopefully, one day too, the Scheck Hillel campus as well. 

Website: (aceingautism.org).