The American Tennis Association has teamed up with Love Serving Autism, the Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and Omega Lambda Zeta to offer three free educational webinars to celebrate Autism Awareness Month.
The virtual sessions, to be held April 23-25 on Zoom, are geared toward raising autism awareness as well as providing valuable information to parents and coaches on how children with autism benefit from participating in tennis.
Demystifying Autism: Unveiling the Misconceptions – Friday, April 23, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
This session will provide parents and coaches an overview of autism and how adaptive tennis can help. The ATA understands although diagnosis rates for autism occur at the same rates in all racial groups, African American children’s diagnoses are usually confirmed later in life in comparison to white children. African American children are 2.4 times more likely to receive a misdiagnosis of conduct disorder. The discussion will include the prevalence of autism, issues relating to inclusivity and acceptance, and embracing diversity & inclusion within the autism community.
“Light it up Blue” – Two Virtual Adaptive Tennis Play-Along Sessions – Saturday, April 24, 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM
Play tennis online! Charrisha Watkins and LSA Founder Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix will lead a fun, socially engaging 45-minute virtual tennis class teaching fitness, hand-eye coordination, and racquet skills for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Challenges.
Coaching for Neurodiversity – Sunday, April 25, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
The discussion will center around how children with autism benefit from participating in recreational therapeutic activities including tennis. Robin Jones, Outreach Specialist for the Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, will provide an overview of the identification of autism in African American children and how it might look different. LSA Founder Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix will provide training about on-court modifications for coaches on both inclusive and adaptive tennis programming.
For more information on the webinars and speakers, please visit www.yourata.org/love-serving-autism.
