Debra Balke's Online Review Report Card

Dr. Balke is a blessing on this planet! I adore her, she is so smart, supportive, educated...she cuts to the point and sets my family up for amazing success Beyond any doctor I've ever seen for my son (who's on the spectrum.) She actually TEXTS too! Many doctors don't put if office. She's a godsend, we thank you Dr. Balke!!! We HIGHLY recommend. Best on the Central Coast, I wouldn't see to it otherwise that's who my sons doctor would be-nothing short of excellence, so that says a lot of Dr. Balke!

I don't know how Dr. Balke could have bad reviews. I took my son, and she was the most personable doctor I have ever met. She was very thorough and took my concerns seriously. She is also very responsive. I would highly recommend.

Wonderful caring and excellent doctor !!

Dr. Balke has been amazing since the day we first took our daughter to see her. She takes the time to answer our questions and responds to emails and phone calls in a timely manner. She is realistic about my daughter's future, always instills hope, and provides helpful recommendations. I think we are very lucky to have such a doctor on the central coast!

Dr Balke is a disgrace to the Medical Profession after examining our autistic son she proceeded to strip away all our hope for his future by telling us he would never be able to walk or talk and would need 24 hour care for his lifetime. After leaving her office my wife and I were absolutely crushed. 20 years later I am happy to report that my son not only can walk and talk but graduated high school ...

My son has been seeing Dr. Balki since he was a toddler. The first med that she prescribed for my son worked to control his seizures. My son is now sixteen and has been off of seizure meds since elementary school. We still meet with Balki once a year and she helps to make sure that he is up to date on all of his tests and makes sure that if the guidelines have changed for his condition, that we are aware. You would think that a pediatrician would take on the task of following your child's health, and make sure that he was getting the tests that he needs, however, his pediatrician has not been interested in doing his job. Balki goes above and beyond what her scope is and it is very much appreciated. Thank you very much, Dr. Balki!!

I would say that to what I heard is totally true. This doctor would not see you unless you live near by. The staff receptionist not the doctor wouldn't return my calls after many attempts to schedule an appointment. I say if people like this are like this in the beginning you know for a fact you will expect bad services in the future.

We visited Dr. Balke in an attempt to alleviate neurological tics that our son was having and to seek some treatment for ADHD. Our son has "mild to moderate" autism and we were also looking to have his gait analyzed and some bloodwork done. Dr. Balke said his thyroid panel came out very normal. We had it checked again by a neuroendocrinologist (after he was really tanking in school) and sure enough his thyroid was extremely low. We also found out that our son has the MTHFR gene (he could tell from our son's blood test that we are both carriers) which causes the brain to essentially break down because it can't process folic acid. As for his awkward gait, Dr. Balke said it was within the normal range for kids who are on the spectrum. She never suggested going to a podiatrist or getting any physical therapy. A few years later we took him to a podiatrist who said he was at risk of rupturing his achilles tendon because it was so tight. He had one collapsed arch and one high arch and the result was an awkward gait and some severely strained tendons and inbalanced muscles. The podiatrist wrote him a prescription for physical therapy and his gait looks much more normal now. Now our son is on Armour Thyroid and Methylfolate (a simple supplement you can buy anywhere that corrects the symptoms of MTHFR gene mutation) and hmmm.... I don't think he even has autism anymore. So to Dr. Balke I say "Thanks for nothing." Please don't take your child to this doctor.

Dr. Balke has been my son's health care provider since he was born (2000). She is very caring and thoughtful when speaking with both parents and patients alike. She provides information in a manner that is easily understood and is not afraid to refer her patients to outside university providers if she feels it would be useful for consulting. I would most certainly recommend her to any family that needs a pediatric neurologist.

She gave me a lumbar puncture and told me to sit up right after I got a spinal headache and couldn't stand for days. I also have a Chiari malformation which apparently gets worse from lumbar punctures which she forgot to mention