We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angela Walden. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angela below.

Angela, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My son Regent, who is now 19, has autism. When he was diagnosed at age three, it was overwhelming. I had three other young children, all of whom were busy with school and their other activities who also needed my attention. My husband at the time (we are separated 10 years ago) worked into the evenings and Saturdays so most of the responsibilities fell on me. Additionally, both of my parents were deceased and I frequently felt very alone and needed a break. Although I was familiar with autism, having worked with children all of my adult life, as we know, each diagnosis is very different. There was so much I didn’t know but my goal for every day, was just to get through it. As much as I would have loved to have packed up Regent and taken him out so that we could both have a break and a change in scenery, that could entail a lot and he sometimes struggled with transitions and car rides. If someone could have come to me, to spend time with him while at the same time providing respite for me, I would have jumped at the opportunity and that is how I came up with the concept of Autism Wings and the Autismobile. The Autismobile is a 36 foot recreational vehicle (RV) that has been converted into a classroom-like activity unit. The space has been divided into separate personalized workspaces that are each designed for specific activities. The Autismobile goes right to the homes of the caregivers who reserve it for a session, also bringing temporary respite to enjoy time free of responsibility without having to leave their home. It would be a win/sin situation for both the caregivers and the child, posing little or no inconvenience to the family.

Angela, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Since childhood, I couldn’t wait to have children. My parents were amazing and loving and they both seemed to really enjoy parenting my older sister and me so I looked forward to experiencing the same joy that they did. My mother was an educator for the Philadelphia School District serving in roles as a teacher, school counselor, and then a school psychologist and she eventually earned her doctorate and opened a private practice. Unfortunately, she passed away from cancer at the age of 52, just one year after having received her doctorate degree, Unfortunately, I lost my equally hard-working, loving father to leukemia on my 14th birthday. My mother’s life was all about educating, nurturing and protecting children, hers and others both on and off the clock, and I absolutely loved and respected that about her. I saw how she spoke to children and made them feel special. Kids in our neighborhood would come to our house just to spend time with my mother. They knew that she would give them love, attention and probably something sweet to eat! I wanted continue her legacy, in my life. I started working with kids at the age of 14. A family friend owned a pre-school in Chadds Ford, PA where I grew up and that is where I spent most of my summers. At the age of 16, I was given the responsibility of opening the pre-school on my own at 7:00am and even driving the school van for field trips. I loved everything about caring for them and seeing them happy. In college, I earned a BA in psychology but knew that I didn’t want to be a teacher as I wanted more flexibility in how I worked with young people and their families. I served in a variety of capacities, Head Start Site Education Assistant, adoption recruiter, pre-school director and currently as a classroom assistant in a local school district providing support to students who receive special education services. While working, I also married and started my own family, The best part of my life for sure! First we had our oldest daughter Emerald now age 30), then my son Justice (age 28), then another daughter Essence (age 25) and finally my youngest son Regent, who is 19. Our days were busy and I loved nothing more than being a mother to our four beautiful children and working with children. When Regent was about two, I began to notice some “differences” in how he was developing. Physically, he was hitting all of the milestones, even mastering a two-wheel bike at the age of three but there were some other behaviors that he demonstrated which caused some concern. Having three older children and working in education, I had a good frame of reference for what was “typical” behavior and Regent was definitely showing some signs of “aytpical” behavior. As his mother, I suspected autism and at the age of three, he was given an autism diagnosis by his physician. Regent’s needs were great but I was up for the challenge…at least I thought. I stayed home with him to get him as academically prepared for kindergarten as possible and to give him the one-on-one attention that he deserved as well as to better understand him and his needs. The days could be challenging as I attempted to understand and address his struggle with emotional regulation, sensory needs, inability to verbally express his wants and needs due to his speech and language delays and when his siblings came home from school, the usual sibling antics, vying for attention, and their many after school activities. With my husband working into the evenings and Saturdays, I needed help, and a break. When Regent finally began kindergarten, although he was gone for school, his needs remained great and my time and energy were deplete. I would always say to myself, “I wish I had ……, or I wish had someone to help me……,” so I began thinking of various services and business concepts that I hoped to one day offer to families who had kids with autism. I first came up with an in-home cooking service, then a program for middle school aged kids and finally in November 2019, I founded Autism Wings, Inc., a non-profit to provide mobile services to kids with with autism. Having remembered what it was like when Regent was younger, I wanted to offer a service that was as convenient as possible. I wanted to go to the front steps of families, give their child a safe place to decompress and or practice a variety of skills, while at the same time providing respite to their caregivers. After three years of fundraising, during the pandemic, we raised enough money to purchase a 36-foot recreational vehicle (RV) and converted it into our Autismobile. Our business model is unique in that it simultaneously meets the needs of both the child, and their family, without ever having to go anywhere. The child comes aboard the Autismobile for 60 or 90 minute sessions and in various work/play spaces in the RV, can practice life skills (their is a full, working kitchen) engage in structured and non-structured play, be creative with a variety of arts and crafts supplies, engage in music making, decompress in a sensory space, practice and improve fine and gross motor and conversational skills and have a safe space that they can call their own and be their authentic selves. This is not a babysitting service as our staff, )all of whom have experience working with children and have criminal, child abuse and FBI clearances) are fully engaged with the child’s needs for the entire session. After the session is over, the child returns to their home where their rested and rejuvenated caregivers can receive them. We are all aware of other mobile services for children, there are mobile gyms and party spaces, barber shops, and mobile therapy but there are no Autismobiles that serve a deeper purpose, one to help kids with autism be more confident, comfortable and independent in society while meeting the needs of their caregivers which at the end of the day, is why I do what I do every day. Each experience on the Autismobile is unique and is tailored to meet the needs of the child at that particular time. I also want people to see that a diagnosis of autism as a child and low test scores does NOT determine that child’s outcome. My son Regent is now a rising sophomore at St. Joseph’s University where he is a member of the Men’s Track and Field team. He has to work very hard at almost everything he does but he is healthy and happy and played a significant role in every aspect of the search, design and introduction of the Autismobile to the community.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Having a child with autism requires numerous emails, phone calls and meetings throughout the school year. In addition to the regularly scheduled Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting, situations constantly arise that require your attention. These include but are in no way limited to bullying from peers, questionable behavior and motivation from adults both in and outside of school, and differences in opinions regarding the educational plan and goals as well as how to implement them. Some of these interactions can be extremely emotional (and exhausting) as you do everything within your power to advocate for your child (and other children’s as well), needs. Even during the difficult conversations and interactions, I tried to remain calm, open to ideas, and respectful. This doesn’t mean that I agreed with everything that was said or even felt positive about the person who said it, but I knew that in order for others to learn, that I would have to conduct myself in such a way that was conducive to someone learning. I wanted to be respected, and heard and I think that it is because of this that I was able to develop such rich and strong relationships with my school and surrounding community over the last 15 years. Even though my children have all graduated, I continue to keep in touch with many of their teachers, counselors, educators and coaches and they have been avid supporters of Autism Wings. My school district (and others as well) has collaborated with me on several Autism Wings events, posts all of our events on their website and speaks highly about me in our community. I have made rewarding friendships with other caregivers of kids with autism and they have supported me and my efforts to grow Autism Wings since its inception. I’ve made it a point to never burn any bridges and to remain respectful and professional at all times in my interactions with others.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The majority of the fundraising that we did was during the pandemic. Raising enough money to purchase a 36-foot recreational vehicle (RV) was never going to be an easy task but doing it during the pandemic, made it that much more difficult. Most of our fundraising was conducted on line and the one outdoor charity run was limited due to number restrictions so pledges were reduced. When we were able, we visited numerous RV dealerships, probably totaling over ten visits and we never seemed to be able to work out the funding and financing. Each time we thought we found the right RV for us, something happened. We persevered and were finally able to purchase the RV from a private owner in August of 2021. Three years later, we reached this goal and it wasn’t easy but was definitely worth it!

Contact Info:

• Website: autismwings.org
• Instagram: weareautismwings
• Facebook: Angela Whittington Walden
• Twitter: @AutismWings