Angela MacDonald-Timpone
As a competitive figure skater training with world class talent in the only town to host two winter Olympics, Angela Timpone knew how to work hard to accomplish a goal and how to set defeat aside and learn from it and move forward.
However, five years ago Angela’s oldest son, Tristan, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of three with a twenty-four month delay across all areas of development including social, communication, physical, and sensory and the news threw her family into crisis trying to find a cure. After reading research articles and therapy books, Angela knew that time was running out and a cure was years from being developed. So, just like preparing for a competition Angela employed all the resources to draw Tristan out of his ASD haze and move his development forward.
Over the last five years, Angela and her team of professionals have helped Tristan grow and develop from a three year old with sufficient delays to an eight year old that is fully integrated in a regular classroom. Tristan still has autism, but he has grown into a strong, developing, young boy who enjoys his friends and classmates.
Since Tristan's diagnosis, Angela has been working on a Vermont system of care for individuals with ASD and advocating in Vermont and in Washington D.C. for more funding and support for families and individuals with ASD.
Currently Angela serves on the boards of the Vermont Autism Task Force, Vermont Interdisciplinary Leadership Education for Health Professionals (VT-ILEHP), and Senator Sanders’s Disability Advisory Council. Formally Angela sat on the boards of the Autism Support Daily and the steering committee for the VT Autism Plan, along with the chair of the Vermont Autism Walk. In addition to Angela’s committee work, she has also collaborated with Common Ground Center to create the first family camp for families affected by ASD, Camp Kaleidoscope. In June, Camp Kaleidoscope will be four years old and has had hundreds of families attend from the east coast. Angela has worked with local and national leaders in the field of ASD including people with ASD, parents, and professionals.
Before raising three sons, Angela worked for then Congressman (now Senator) Sanders as event planner, marketing professional, and fund-raiser who recruited and planned events with Al Franken, Michael Moore, and Gloria Steinem. Angela has used her experience to help create a new system of care for individuals with ASD and advised the Vermont Congressional team on the Autism Combating Act.
Through Angela’s work she has seen the lack of supports for people with ASD and their families have, so she have created a business, Parenting Autism, to step in and help. Parenting Autism has produced a DVD and workbook to help parents parent on the spectrum along with parenting workshops and professional lectures.
Angela has pulled together her political expertise, parenting knowledge, and marketing skills to teach parents and professionals how to collaborate together instead of arguing to create a team to grow the child into the best they can be. She has inspired parents and professionals to move forward instead being caught in the circle of crisis.
However, five years ago Angela’s oldest son, Tristan, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of three with a twenty-four month delay across all areas of development including social, communication, physical, and sensory and the news threw her family into crisis trying to find a cure. After reading research articles and therapy books, Angela knew that time was running out and a cure was years from being developed. So, just like preparing for a competition Angela employed all the resources to draw Tristan out of his ASD haze and move his development forward.
Over the last five years, Angela and her team of professionals have helped Tristan grow and develop from a three year old with sufficient delays to an eight year old that is fully integrated in a regular classroom. Tristan still has autism, but he has grown into a strong, developing, young boy who enjoys his friends and classmates.
Since Tristan's diagnosis, Angela has been working on a Vermont system of care for individuals with ASD and advocating in Vermont and in Washington D.C. for more funding and support for families and individuals with ASD.
Currently Angela serves on the boards of the Vermont Autism Task Force, Vermont Interdisciplinary Leadership Education for Health Professionals (VT-ILEHP), and Senator Sanders’s Disability Advisory Council. Formally Angela sat on the boards of the Autism Support Daily and the steering committee for the VT Autism Plan, along with the chair of the Vermont Autism Walk. In addition to Angela’s committee work, she has also collaborated with Common Ground Center to create the first family camp for families affected by ASD, Camp Kaleidoscope. In June, Camp Kaleidoscope will be four years old and has had hundreds of families attend from the east coast. Angela has worked with local and national leaders in the field of ASD including people with ASD, parents, and professionals.
Before raising three sons, Angela worked for then Congressman (now Senator) Sanders as event planner, marketing professional, and fund-raiser who recruited and planned events with Al Franken, Michael Moore, and Gloria Steinem. Angela has used her experience to help create a new system of care for individuals with ASD and advised the Vermont Congressional team on the Autism Combating Act.
Through Angela’s work she has seen the lack of supports for people with ASD and their families have, so she have created a business, Parenting Autism, to step in and help. Parenting Autism has produced a DVD and workbook to help parents parent on the spectrum along with parenting workshops and professional lectures.
Angela has pulled together her political expertise, parenting knowledge, and marketing skills to teach parents and professionals how to collaborate together instead of arguing to create a team to grow the child into the best they can be. She has inspired parents and professionals to move forward instead being caught in the circle of crisis.
