Hello friend, thankyou for your question.
It's always best to get the child's hearing checked unless he's speaking clearly the few words he says. If he is speaking very clearly then don't worry.He will talk when he wants something!
There are children who are perfectly normal who either have little to say or they have older children or parents who consistently "say it for them" so they do not have to learn.
Perhaps you can have this child visit for a weekend and work with him and see what you feel may be helpful.
We had one child who did not speak until he was almost 3 yrs old and we were told the child just didn't have anything to say. And now we find quite a few years later (he's 32) that he has plenty to say and he's a successful speaker and businessman.
Still,I feel hearing tests are important if the words are not clear and the child does not advance in his speech during this year.
Sometimes children simply need to hear themselves on a tape player to understand themselves. But you will need to wait a bit more before doing this . Two is very young.
Here is more on the speech of a child.
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:Wr4xWcLgfR8J:www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby/SchoolResourceKit_Quiz.pdf+when+should+toddlers+start+to+talk&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=12
http://www.huggieshappybaby.com/info/interview/article.aspx?id=54&_nc=632986848322095700&_nockcheck=true
http://www.turben.com/conciseadvice.htm
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THANKYOU!
Sincerely,Don
father of many,grandfather
God made children so we'd learn how to love