(NY) Buffalo People Inc

ACEing Autism partner with Buffalo People Inc to welcome individuals with autism and special needs to enjoy the fun of tennis! Our amazing crew of trained and enthusiastic volunteers engage with our athletes and their families to provide an enjoyable experience of tennis, fitness, and friendship. We use low nets, small rackets, foam balls along with balloons, beach balls, Koosh balls, beanbags, hula hoops, targets, tees, and more to develop our athletes' ball control and racquet skills.

Our athletes participate in group activities on court and also receive individual support. Our home courts are at the South Towns Tennis Club.

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 throughout the year, with sessions running for four to five 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!