Expressive language delay?

[Whyriskit]

DS2 is 2.2 and I'm concerned about his expressive language. He probably only has about 20 words, if that, but his comprehension is pretty good - he can follow quite a complicated request and seems to understand most of what I say to him. He can't say colours but can identify them, also things which are big or small etc. Gestures, points and remembers the signs I've taught him ("cake" is a particular favourite!). I'm also pretty sure he can physically pronounce the sounds as DS1 is doing a silly amount a lot of phonics at the moment and DS2 enjoys imitating him.
He shows empathy and his motor skills are ok, although he was a lateish walker (16 months). He gets a fair bit of 1-1 time as his older brother has just started school. He also goes to nursery 2 days a week when I work.
DH feels there's no need to ask the HV for a referral to SALT, but I'm concerned. OTOH, I don't know what they'll recommend that I'm not doing - I work with young people with SN and my mum used to be head of a pre-school language unit. Is it just a case of a late starter or maybe more to it? Does anyone have experience of something similar?

[lorisparkle]

DS1 has an expressive language disorder and I pushed for a SALT referral at 2yrs 5 months. In our area they see them within two weeks then decide what to do. I work with children with SN and have a Post Graduate Qualification in Communication but found the work with the SALT really useful and interesting. They also worked with pre-school and send information to school. They often have fairly strict criteria for seeing children as they are very stretched but I can not see any harm in early referral. I always believed DS had more than a delay as SALT first diagnosed (at 2yrs 5mnths) and she confirmed my diagnosis when he was 5! She did not believe me that he knew his colours but I proved he did! The work we all did with DS had fantastic results. He was only saying one word at a time when he started and with a few weeks was putting two words together and then three and then four. He could barely be understood by anyone at 4yrs but by 5yrs he could be understood by most people. We are still working on a few things but he has now been discharged.

He may be a late starter but better to find this out now than to find out later that there is a problem that you could have been working on.