Love Serving Autism Continues To Grow With Programs Across The Country, Including Many Here in Tri-State Area
Tennis is the sport of a lifetime, and the life skills it can help foster in individuals is one of the most redeeming qualities of our game. And with that in mind, Love Serving Autism (LSA) has been using tennis to benefit others, as it provides inclusive therapeutic racquet sports instruction for neurodivergent children and adults to enhance communication, motor coordination, life skills, and behavior on and off the courts.
Love Serving Autism offers specialized training and education to racquet sports professionals, teachers, certified therapists, and volunteers seeking adaptive certification.
“At Love Serving Autism, we believe that the racquet sports industry thrives when it embraces inclusivity,” said Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix, Founder of Love Serving Autism. “By creating spaces where individuals of all abilities can come together, we foster athletic skills, community, understanding, and acceptance. Our mission is to break down barriers and ensure everyone can experience the joy and benefits of tennis and other racquet sports.”
Throughout the country, Pugliese-LaCroix and her not-for-profit organization provides support and resources to tennis clubs and programs to run their own LSA programming. Just this past spring, Commonpoint Queens at Alley Pond Tennis Center began running clinics and classes in partnership with LSA.
“I began running LSA programs this April after being introduced to the initiative by Aki Wolfson at Commonpoint Tennis and Athletics Center. I was eager to contribute and support the program from the start,” said Mark Mero. “The experience has been incredibly rewarding. The simplest gestures, like a high-five or a smile, are deeply fulfilling. It’s remarkable to witness the joy and progress of the participants.”
At Commonpoint, the programs are conducted on a weekly basis, and Mero and his team have shown a great deal of enthusiasm and compassion to the players, understanding their individual needs and acting accordingly.
“Emphasizing fun and continual learning has become central to my approach,” said Mero. “It has reinforced the importance of creativity and adaptability in teaching. Tennis offers significant benefits and should be accessible to everyone. Making it inclusive ensures that everyone, regardless of ability, can experience its physical, social and emotional advantages.”
Karla Ruaya at the West Orange Tennis Club in New Jersey has been running LSA programs since 2021, when she first met Pugliese-LaCroix at the annual USTA Eastern Tennis Conference. Pugliese-LaCroix is often a speaker at tennis events and conferences throughout the country, and does a great job of connecting with program directors and club owners.
With a background in Exercise Physiology and work as a neurotrainer with people with physical disabilities, Ruaya had already been running wheelchair tennis programming, and wanted to expand to other populations.
After meeting Pugliese-LaCroix, she inquired about using the LSA curriculum to run a clinic for individuals with autism, and then received grant money from the USTA and USPTA in order to do so. Ever since, she has been running year-round programs, and explains what makes these programs so rewarding and vital.
“I think it’s important to make tennis inclusive because it’s a sport that encompasses so many things and stimulates on so many levels,’ said Ruaya. “People with varying abilities can always take something from it. I have my non-verbal players who enjoy the hand-fed drills where they knock down targets across the net and sometimes they want to switch it up to rallying where I’m feeding a live ball. Then we have our more social participants and they play doubles. There are so many options on how you want to play. It’s truly a diverse sport and everyone should have the opportunity to play it.”
And it is through the dedication of people like Ruaya and Mero who use their platforms and infrastructure to provide those opportunities, as well as the volunteers who come out to help with the clinics and instructions.
“It’s very rewarding because we know that everyone on the court is having fun and working hard. We focus on making sure that they really learn how to play by modifying as much as we need to for each individual participant,” added Ruaya. “We run the program once a week all-year. The biggest challenge is when we run low on the volunteers. A lot of times, a player will need one-on-one support in order to get the most out of the clinic, and also ensure they are safe. I like to have one instructor on each court along with the volunteers. Thankfully, now that the program is growing, more people hear and learn about it, we garner volunteers along with new players.”
Thanks to the USTA Foundation, LSA was awarded a 2024 programming grant to offer therapeutic tennis programming for 300+ youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders and unique abilities throughout the Northeast. The work it does throughout the country is the perfect representation of the impact that tennis can have on an individual, and how important it is to break down the barriers that prevent people from playing that often exist. Using tennis as a vehicle to spark self-confidence, social skills and more is imperative.
“The programming has been quite impactful,” said Dhwani, the father of Manaav who takes part in the LSA programs at West Orange. “I’ve discovered my son’s love of tennis and being active. I’ve seen him come to life and get excited about an opportunity to be outside and play alongside others. The staff has been warm, encouraging and supportive to my son in so many ways. I can feel his confidence and pride grow from the experience.”
You can learn more about LSA and all the work they do, as well as inquire about running LSA programming at your facility, by visiting LoveServingAutism.org.
