Kelly Ashley grew up in Sneads, Florida, graduating from Sneads High School in 1993. She attended Florida State University before transferring to Emory University School of Nursing (EUSN). Kelly completed her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at EUSN in 1998. She returned to EUSN as a Distinguished Woodruff Fellow and graduated Summa Cum Laude with her MSN with a specialty in Pediatrics (PNP) in 2000. Kelly joined Southeastern Pediatric Associates in Dothan, Alabama in 2001 as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. “When my son was diagnosed with ASD in 2007, I traded one full-time job for another. Because services for children with ASD were not available in Dothan, it became my responsibility to seek out medical and therapeutic interventions for him no matter how fare we had to drive. I learned about ABA therapy, and I sought out training in this discipline. I ran his ABA curriculum and transported him to all the other therapeutic appointments. I attended conferences with my husband and learned about biomedical interventions for children with ASD. While I missed my patients, I did what mothers do and sacrificed my interests to meet his needs. It is this experience in my own life, along with my medical training, that has allowed me to be of service to other families in our community who have children on the spectrum.” Since 2007, Kelly has assisted hundreds of families of children with ASD and PANS/PANDAS. In 2008, Kelly and her husband, Dr. Ashley, co-founded Spectrum Center for Autism and Related Disorders, a 501c# non-profit organization where children with ASD could receive speech therapy, occupational therapy, applied behavioral analysis therapy (ABA), social skills training, and tutoring under one roof. “Our new endeavor, Innovative Healthcare, represents the next step toward making a difference in the lives of children with these very complex, yet treatable issues.”