Dear XXXXXX,

First of all, thank you for choosing to pose your query on XXXXXXX I am Dr. Taher. I wish to congratulate you for taking good care of your twins, and being aware of their developmental issues.

Please be rest assured that if the twins had Down syndrome, they would have been diagnosed at birth, since this condition has typical physical attributes that are impossible to be missed by qualified doctors. In fact, Down syndrome is the most easily diagnosed of all genetic syndromes found in human beings!

Also, patients with Down syndrome have a constellation of mental abnormalities, such as abnormalities of behaviour, of cognition (understanding), of intellect, of memory, etc. and not just delayed speech, although the extent of involvement in each of the areas may differ from individual to individual.

Here is what I suggest:

Take them to the Pediatrician or the family practitioner or family nurse practitioner. Ask them to check out the kids for a hearing problem; ask them to evaluate the developmental milestones in all categories; and finally, ask them to check the throat and gullet for possible anatomical problems that are making speech difficult.

If all these things are normal or non-contributory, then waiting is the only answer, as isolated speech delay is one of the most common developmental issues we see in our clinical practice. It is not unusual for some infants and toddlers to start speaking after the age of 2 to 2 1/2 years.

That's all for now. Hope the answer has been helpful for you.

Best wishes and warm regards,

Dr. Taher

---

Dear XXXXXX,

Of course, I took a look at the two pictures that you uploaded. Your twins are NOT Down or any other chromosomal syndrome. Thank you for your appreciation. If you could help me, do write a review of how you felt about my answer.

Thank you once again.

Dr. Taher

---