Pleasence soars from player to instructor at tennis school

By Anita Szabadi-Gottesman

“Every child needs to have something they are great at!” says Lara Pleasence, proud mom of Toren, who became involved in tennis organization Proset Autism where he discovered he can “truly be great at something.”

Toren, now 17, was diagnosed with severe ADHD as well as being on the autism spectrum from an early age. Pleasence describes her son as a spirited child unable to sit still and enjoy fully in any organized sports program. “We tried gymnastics, karate and so many more,” she said. “Nothing was working for him. It was important for his dad and I to find a sport that Toren could enjoy. He just wanted something to participate in.”

Proset Autism provided the outlet for Toren that his parents had been searching for.

Launched in 2010 with Philippe Manning at the helm, with its tagline “Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy physical fitness,” Manning developed a unique sports program combining socio-emotional skills, motor development, motivation and participation geared to children and teens with autism, ADHD or Down syndrome. In 2013, with Manning’s father John on board, Proset Autism obtained non-profit status expanding their reach from their home base in Vaudreuil to Pincourt and other locations in the West Island, Ottawa and Toronto.

Toren began taking tennis lessons at a young age and has progressively not only improved his tennis game and skill set but has risen through the ranks to become a paid instructor. For his part, Toren feels that his participation in the program has opened doors for him, giving him the confidence to think about career opportunities and truly excel at something. “It feels so good and is very meaningful for me to know that I can help kids who are just like me,” he said. “I can relate to them and motivate them to pay attention and develop a drive to improve while having fun.”

For mom Lara, watching Toren go from student to instructor has been amazing to nurture and watch. “I want to tell other parents of children with ADHD or on the spectrum that their children will progress while learning so many life skills along the way,” she said. “Toren truly gets these kids – he’s been there.”