One of the most well-remembered quotes from Fred Rogers, host of the popular children’s television program “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” reminds children and adults to look for “the helpers.” “You will always find people who are helping, and I am comforted by realizing there are so many helpers — so many caring people in the world,” he said.

Courtney Lewis is just such a person, with a mission to see the need in her community and effect change where it is needed most. 

Born and raised in Jemez Springs, Lewis earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico and then left the area to pursue graduate studies. She returned to New Mexico to focus her career on children’s mental health.

Lewis settled in Rio Rancho and established Small Steps Child Counseling, specializing in play therapy, infant mental health, child parent psychotherapy and the treatment of highly traumatized kids. 

Lewis and her husband, Jeff Utrata, welcomed the first of two children, a daughter named Hope. Trained in child development, Lewis grew concerned when Hope wasn’t meeting developmental milestones such as crawling or babbling. Lewis and Utrata decided early intervention would be prudent. They turned to Inspirations — one of eight federally sponsored programs in Albuquerque — which provides services for children from birth to 3 years at risk of having learning disabilities or developmental delays. 

“Even though I was in the field and able to recognize delays, I hadn’t experienced being an insider and how to apply those skills to my own child. Hope was not generalizing skills she had at home to other environments and was delayed in developing her motor skills and speech,” Lewis said. 

Early interventionists suspected Hope had symptoms consistent with autism and referred her to the UNM Center for Development and Disability. UNM-CDD confirmed Hope was on the autism spectrum, with developmental delays.

In general, by 11 months, children can read a parent’s emotions through facial cues, which are vital to language development. Autism spectrum disorder is one type of neurodivergence in which people face difficulty in reading social emotional cues or facial expressions which communicate feelings.

Hope’s diagnosis occurred when the couple was eight months pregnant with their second child, Greyson. Siblings of autistic children have a 1 in 5 chance of being diagnosed with autism, compared with a 1 in 26 chance for the general population.

When Greyson’s sensory system displayed extremely low distress tolerance in comparison to what is developmentally typical, Lewis again sought out an early intervention program, and Greyson was referred to UNM-CDD for an autism evaluation. Lewis said the diagnoses of her children changed the trajectory of their lives.

“The children had way more needs than we were able to meet,” she said. “A diagnosis benefits parents as their children would be qualified to receive autism specific therapy services such as applied behavioral analysis, as well as multiple authorizations for occupational and speech therapy.” 

As luck would have it, Lewis visited a We Rock the Spectrum gym in Tucson, Arizona, a franchise launched by Dina Kimmel of Tarzana, California in 2010 — the same year Lewis founded Small Steps Child Counseling. Kimmel’s neurodivergent child had been kicked out of a gym for tantrums, driving her to take matters into her own hands. She opened the first of a chain of gym franchises, which has expanded to 156 locations in 27 states and eight countries. A lightbulb went on in Lewis’ head.

As a fee-for-service counselor and with societal child trauma increasing, Lewis had been grappling with how to carry the overhead of her burgeoning counseling practice. She delved into the specifics of owning a franchise and realized it offered the potential for an additional source of income that would ease the financial burden of Small Steps and allow her to pay her employees more. It would also prove beneficial, not only for Hope and Greyson, but others facing the same barriers for play in the community.

With the franchise agreement signed in March of 2023, Lewis went full steam ahead. Setting up a gym is one thing, creating a safe play space for children who often experience sensory overload is another. We Rock the Spectrum is keenly aware of essential elements needed for successful play: swings, occupational therapy equipment, soothing and sensory support and a sensory wall, as well as art and calming rooms for kids needing to disengage from stimulus overload. 

The facility also includes a retail space selling sensory toys and offices to accommodate Small Steps Counseling clients.

With the grand opening on the horizon, what can one expect when walking into a We Rock the Spectrum gym? 

“It will be bright and friendly,” says Lewis, “with an open play environment. The space will be sensory friendly with natural light and will provide open play, up to a point. Once capacity is reached, families can book a time online to play that day.

“While we ask parents to sign a liability waiver and stay to support and supervise, we also offer them free admission and a space to plug in their laptops to make themselves comfortable as their children experience a play space geared especially for them.” 

While the gym is well-suited for children with specific needs, Lewis is quick to point out that the gym is for all kids, where every child will meet new friends and find fun.

Lewis and her team hope to meet a variety of needs, with spaces for after-school programs, camps, birthday parties, a teen room with games for neurodivergent teens, spaces where child specialists can meet with families, and the opportunity for supervised playtimes so caregivers can enjoy a “recreational respite.”

The Rio Rancho grand opening had not been scheduled as of mid-April, but a preview for adults and professionals and a meet-and-greet for the community were planned. A play-learn-grow program for ages 3-5 is in the works, and Lewis is working to find a way to credential the gym with Medicaid so respite can be covered by health insurance.

The franchise also has rights to an Eastside location in Albuquerque, but Lewis believes starting with a gym at 1101 Golf Course Road SE in Rio Rancho makes sense. 

“Rio Rancho has invested in education for neurodivergent kids,” she said. “We can provide the constant access to sensory experiences they need.” 

To learn more about We Rock the Spectrum or its grand opening calendar of events, visit werockthespectrumriorancho.com or call 505-584-6742.