23 month old not talking

[worried aunt]

My 23 month old nephew has yet to speak any words.He understands everything that is said to him, and he can follow commands. He does make noises,but NO words. I am especailly concerned because has an older ( 5 year old) brother who show definite signs of developmental problems - never looks you in the face, never carries on a conversation, makes grunting noises, and seems to have no sense of danger . He ( the older one) also gets lost in " his own world" . The parents seem unconcerned about both these children, and I wonder what the appropriate tests should be for the baby. Should we be worried?

[robyn]

Don't worry about it.  My 23 1/2 mo old son says a few words but not too many. Childern talk WHEN THEY ARE READY AND NOT ONE MINUTE SOONER.....  Just keep taling to him and eventually hewill talk back.  Remember he is taliking but you just do not know what he is saying!!!  Good Luck!!

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Aunt,

In general, children demonstrate some babbling by the age of five or six months; they use their first words around the age of ten to twelve months; and they combine words at eighteen to twenty-four months. By the age of two years, many children (but not all by any means) have acquired more than two hundred words. If your nephew is otherwise developing in a normal way, there's no need for worry at this time. However, he's now at an age when speech should be blossoming, and it's to be expected that he'll show some progress over the coming months. If not, it would be reasonable to be concerned.

If the only worry is in relation to speech/language, evaluation should be done by a qualified Speech & Language Pathologist/Therapist.