(NC) Charlotte - Myers Park

ACEing Autism is on a mission for children with autism to grow, develop and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming, uniquely serving individual needs while filling a national void for this growing and worthy population.

We have two program directors at our Myers Park affiliate, Zach Plyler and Nate Jamison! Here is a little bit about each of us. 

Hello! My name is Zach Plyler, I am a senior at Myers Park High School, in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have been playing tennis my entire life and am entering my third year working with Aceing Autism. When I first heard about the program I knew it was for me as I would be able to meet people, connect with others, volunteer, and teach something that I knew well. I have had the best experience and it has helped me grow as a person. I have seen massive improvements in our participants’ motor, social, and tennis skills. I am very thankful for this opportunity and we hope to keep a successful program at Myers Park over the 2025-26 school year. 

Trained Program Directors and volunteers lead participants through our curriculum. At the very heart, tennis is a social game that furnishes a natural opportunity to develop and reinforce skills that many children on the spectrum find a struggle: turn-taking, focus and attending, motor planning, fine and gross motor skills, and more. Our Program Directors meet athletes where they are at and progress through our curriculum at their own pace.

We offer weekly tennis clinics for children with autism between the ages of 5 and 18. Our clinics run for one hour, with sessions running for six to eight weeks at a time. Volunteers are paired up with a participant, hopefully for the duration of the session. The children in our program do not need prior tennis knowledge as our curriculum & volunteers support each child’s individual abilities and needs!