Last July when 5-year-old Christopher Morse first arrived at Stepping Stones Therapy Center, he was quiet and unable to do many things, but now he dangles from a swing and kicks his legs in the air while smiling from ear to ear.

"He's a totally different kid," said his mother, Susan Morse, of Newburyport. "He's made so many improvements since he's been coming here. Before, he would have never been able to do that."

Christopher suffers from Fragile X, a genetic form of autism. The disorder made him unable to express feelings or communicate his needs.

At Stepping Stones, he joins 3-year-old Aidan Lohan, who is also autistic, for weekly therapy that seem more like play than work. They spin in a parachute, slip down slides and rearrange colorful puzzles, all to stimulate their senses, help them socialize and teach them to speak up.

Lynda Gallagher, an occupational therapist and owner of Stepping Stones Therapy Center, helps Christopher Morse, 5, work on sensory motor skills. Tim Jean / Staff photo

"The focus is play-based," said Lynda Gallagher, an occupational therapist and graduate of Boston University who started the center just a year ago in Lawrence. "When you play, you learn."

When Aidan first arrived at the center, he cried for two hours. Today it is a highlight of his week.

"He talks about it all the time," said his mother, Karen Lohan of Andover.

Children at Stepping Stones suffer from a spectrum of disorders ranging from severe autism to milder Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit disorder. The center is warm and fun so children socialize, but also designed for minimal distractions.

The center, which moved from Lawrence to 38 Rogers Road in Ward Hill this month, is growing and changed its name to better reflect all it offers.

Syrena Merrow, 18, a volunteer, works on a puzzle with Aidan Lohan, 3, to develop sensory motor skills. Tim Jean / Staff photo

So in the fall, Stepping Stones Center for Education and Development will add a therapy-based, integrated preschool for children with complex needs. The open house is Thursday, May 22, 5 to 7 p.m.

The center will also add personalized tutoring and study skills for students of all ages and their parents, with speech therapy, handwriting groups, motor skills and sensory training.

Gallagher's dream is to give her students the same opportunities and after-school activities available to other children, like drama, dance, music and karate.

"I want them to be able to do the things normal children would do... things their parents would be proud of," she said. "They can say, 'we're going to karate,' instead of 'we're going to therapy.' "

Gallagher believes her center will alleviate some of the stress — whether it's financial, emotional or time-related — for busy families with a child in need.

"My hope was to have parents come here for everything instead of having to drive from therapy to therapy throughout the week," said Gallagher.

When a child is seeing several therapists, quite often those therapists don't get a chance to collaborate, but at Stepping Stones it is a priority, Gallagher said.

"Through our therapies, or educational enrichment, our life skills, and the vocational training, which are all in the same facility, we can reinforce what the children learn," Gallagher said. "There's a better chance of learning."

The parents, an important part of the learning process at Stepping Stones, help reinforce the progress their children make.

"We teach moms and dads what to do at home. You don't always get that in schools," she said.

Stepping Stones Therapy Center owner Lynda Gallagher, right, helps a group of students as Syrena Merrow, left, works with Christopher Morse, 5, as Stephanie Baril, 23, center, watches Aidan Lohan, 3. Tim Jean/Staff photo

Stepping Stones gets some money from the school districts that send children there, but parents pay most of the cost. And because the needs of some children are so severe that only one parent can work, Gallagher and her staff try to keep it affordable.

Volunteers help keep her running costs down. But she also splits the hourly cost of a session among all the children within the group. She is also looking into any grants and sponsorships available.

"I saw there was a need," Gallagher said. "There was something missing. Insurance is tough about providing therapy... Insurance wants to make the schools pay for it, and the schools are cutting back, big time."

The center grows with the help and advice of many professionals.

"With Lynda I was able to find a program that was captivating, dynamic and enthusiastic, and all of that mirrors Lynda," said Dr. Robert Stier, a special education consultant and clinical child psychologist from Andover who has played an integral part in the growth of Stepping Stones.

Children with disabilities should not be without therapy or schooling for weeks and that puts working families in a difficult situation when school vacations arise, but Stepping Stones provides a place to go.

"This has been perfect," said Lohan, Aidan's mother. "It's like one-stop shopping. I know I can always take him here."

For more information on Stepping Stones, call 978-373-7722 or visit www.sstcinc.net.

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