Dr. Debra Lee Balke, MD

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.

She is absolutely amazing and really understands my child's needs.

She is absolutely amazing and really understands my child's needs.

Dr. Balke has gone above and beyond to help my son with his recovery from a traumatic injury. She has done more than his primary care physician to get information about his condition and information on how to best assist in his recovery!

Dr. Balke is awesome, we just love her and her staff. She makes sure nothen is over looked.

I am very pleased with Dr. Balke and her staff. She has an excellent reputation in San Luis Obispo County especially with parents and local advocacy groups as she also specializes in treating children with developmental delays. I was able to an appointment in less than a months time as my son was getting severe headaches more than one time per week and also experiencing insomnia issues as well. She diagnosed my son with mixed headaches-migraine and tension. She started him on a low dose of Topamax and Imatrex but the Imatrix was not effective so switched him to midrin an older migraine tension headache medication which seems to be helpful in aleviating the pain partly. Her staff is professional and curteous and I am pleased to be able to get an early morning appointment so it does not interfere with my sons schooling. I would highly recommend her to anyone.