Tennis, everyone? Kids on the autism spectrum can learn the game and much more in Allentown program

Sherwin Albert, 12, of Allentown practices tennis skills during a clinic Saturday, June 1, 2024, at Oakmont Tennis Club in Allentown. Oakmont Tennis Club offers specialized therapeutic tennis instruction for children ages 5-18 who are on the autism spectrum. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Henry Mayer, a 15-year-old tennis skeptic, ended up falling under the spell of the game at the Oakmont Tennis Club in Allentown, where young people with autism spectrum disorder spend one therapeutic hour a week swatting and volleying on the red clay courts.

“If we’re being honest, it’s much more fun than I expected,” the Bethlehem teen said Saturday, standing courtside and voicing this opinion just as coach Katie Miness happened by.

The comment prompted a laugh from Miness, who brought the Love Serving Autism program to the club on the city’s West End in 2021 and now instructs a small coterie of players whose enthusiasm is clear, even if many of them can’t express it in words.

“Please be honest, Henry!” she said.

Henry is among the most verbal players in the group, precisely and intently numbering the benefits of tennis instruction in his life: exercise, time outdoors, interaction with players and volunteers. All the children seem at ease with one another, which in itself is one of the great accomplishments of the program.

“We’ve had a handful of kids who started the program and came out and cried for the whole class,” said Miness, who became a certified tennis pro at 21 and has been teaching for more than 20 years. Her professional life also revolves around the game; she is a marketing and communications specialist for the U.S. Tennis Association.

A few years ago, Miness was leading lessons at the club when she fell into conversation with a woman whose daughter was autistic. Eager to find a way to make the game available to neurodivergent children, she started researching and discovered Love Serving Autism, a national program founded in Florida seven years ago.

Now, with the help of volunteers, she leads three six-week sessions a year, in spring, summer and fall.

“It’s like physical therapy, speech therapy and socialization, all through tennis,” she said. “They’re moving, they’re following directions. It’s amazing to see the growth.”

Autism spectrum disorder describes a wide range of neurological conditions that affect behavior, learning and communication. It can be characterized by repetitive behaviors, attraction or aversion to certain sounds or textures, avoidance of eye contact and adherence to routine.

“Oh, he lives his life by routine,” said Brooke Watson of Allentown, whose lean and lanky son, Devin Hassett, likes how the weekly sessions unfold along the same lines: opening stretches and calisthenics, followed by practice at forehands and backhands and other essentials of the game.

Devin, 13, also plays baseball, with the Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley, another program for children with special needs. Indeed, he is among the newest members of that program’s Hall of Fame, an honor that includes a trip in October to play in an all-star game to Georgia.

“He’s super-competitive,” his mother said. “So tennis gives him another outlet to be competitive.”

Each of the six sessions is dedicated to a theme: teamwork, sportsmanship, respect, listening, effort and responsibility. The fruits of these lessons are evident in small things — one player retrieving a stray ball for another, for example, or offering a smile or cheer at someone’s performance.

As the weeks go on, “they’re so much more excited,” said Julianna Hahn, a 19-year-old volunteer from Allentown who marvels at how the game can tease out elements of the players’ personalities over time.

Sarah Halpin of Orefield said the program has been a blessing for her 8-year-old son, Hunter, who cried the first time but now looks forward to his Saturdays on the court.

“For us, it’s hard to find programs for him to participate in,” Halpin said. “Tennis has been interesting because there’s eye-hand coordination, cooperation and teamwork. Coach Katie encourages interaction with the teammates, and Hunter doesn’t usually engage his peers.”

On Saturday, he did. Wordlessly, perhaps, but the occasional smiles spoke volumes.

Saturday was the final spring session. The summer program begins July 13 and runs through Aug. 17. The fee is $90. For more information, contact Miness at kminess@gmail.com or  register online at oakmonttennis.com/adaptive-tennis/