Sounds like my son. We noticed similar issues from around 14 months. He has just turned 3 and has been diagnosed with ASD. It should be picked up by the Health Visitor particularly at the 2 year review. Early intervention is key though with Speech and Language therapy etc.
Hi there, I’m an emergency nurse who works with children in Australia, we have a pamphlet for parents to see if their kids are reaching the milestones they should be reaching at certain ages, it may just be a subtle thing you could give your brother so he can think about whether or not his son is meeting these milestones, and if he asks what to do next you can advise to see their paediatrician who can do basic testing and send them to specialists if needed. It’s only going to be detrimental for the child in the long run if nothing is done now. I hope this helps! 
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/kidsfamilies/MCFhealth/Publications/milestones-matter.pdf
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I would definitely get his ears checked.
Just love him! Be a great fun Aunt. Let his parents stress about this. You can advise your sibling if you like. However its really out of your control.
I’d definitely get his hearing checked. My oldest son took forever to talk, but when then started speaking in almost paragraphs at a time. It was almost like he thought too deeply and short words weren’t enough. But, the lack of response to things, especially loud noises is concerning. For sure check his hearing. The rest is pretty normal, kids fixate on things they like, such as closing doors. Lol. I’d think noise, especially loud ones, would be bothersome, if he were on the spectrum. Most everything could be attributed to hearing problems, though.
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Sounds to me like he needs a doctor
It really depends on your relationship to your brother and how often you spend time with the baby. It’s a very sensitive topic.
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Sounds like he’s probably deaf.
If his parents aren’t concerned then it isn’t your place to be. You’re an outsider so don’t actually see him all the time, his parents would be the best judge of this x
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Kids development differs child to child… you may be concerned but it’s far too early to bring anything upto the patents, I’m sure they r having thoughts about it, but no need to cause them any further concern. Also it’s not really your place to test/ evaluate him. Leave mum and dad to raise their kid, if they ask for your help that’s different. I’m sure they know their own kid. X
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Mind your business and let your brother deal with it.
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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. I think my nephew may have developmental delays: Thoughts? - Mamas Uncut
He seems comfortable with his dad. Babies can also sense things within other people. Maybe he isn’t comfortable with you. If he couldn’t hear the doctor would have found that by now. Each baby is different. He’s one. Not every child is by the book they develop at his or her own pace.my son shuts everything that’s opened. So that’s not abnormal. Does he take the child to well checks? The first yr there are a few if the child couldn’t hear then they would know that. I dislike how people jump the gun and say they think something’s wrong because a child is different than the book or another child.
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My son was exactly the same until around 2, then all of a sudden he became a walking dictionary 
although he used to at least respond if spoken to by pointing to what he wants. I would suggest maybe checking out his hearing. My son is now 5, very happy playful guy but still only shows me affection, not even dad.he is still very attached to me
I would definitely get his ears checked first and then check for autism
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I would get his hearing checked before thinking he’s delayed. That’s what it sounds like to me.
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Maybe needs tubes. Doesn’t sound autistic. They are normally over stimulated when it comes to loud noises & you’d be able to tell.
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So they do a hearing test to newborns in the hospital, if he was deaf, they’d know by now. A lot of babies go through a stranger danger phase, my daughter did. She would scream if anyone held her that wasn’t me or my husband. Every kid is different, doesn’t mean something is wrong with them.
If he was deaf they would have caught it in the hospital, but it’s possible that he has fluid in his ears which is making hearing difficult. My daughter had this problem, even though she never had ear infections. We caught it at 17 months, which was lucky. The longer you wait the more speech will be delayed.
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My daughter is 21m and she was the same way until we got her into daycare. She wouldn’t really answer us when we called for her she would get upset if I wasn’t with her. She even did the W sitting, walking on her tip toes, and hand flapping. She has been in daycare for almost 4 months and it has been amazing. She is more social. She will bring us things to look at. She has even started talking a whole lot and singing.
If you’re concerned I would let the father know that you think there may be something wrong with him hearing people because he doesn’t listen when his name is called, etc. I would also suggest getting him into something like birth-3 or some classes that help with slight developmental delays.
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My Grandaughter was over 2 years old before she started saying more than one word…But she is 10 now and fine…But these concerns you mentioned definitekv need to be checked into…
Autism has such a wide range and NO 2 are exactly alike. I had 1 child not like loud noises at all, and another is the same as your nephew with opening and shutting doors. You can get his ears checked too. I had 1 of my kids stick a small piece of crayon in her ear 1 time we couldn’t even see it! My 4yr old gets very territorial and doesn’t like people to touch her. Even me at times. Sometimes I cant even look at her she says don’t look at me. You can call the Ann Sullivan center and the Dr will get u a referral. Id definitely be concerned. My 9yr old was diagnosed at 10 months because I noticed she had some issues that weren’t setting ok with me. Shes thriving now and even entered school without an IEP and still going strong. Sometimes they need a little help. Glad you noticed these things. Getting help early will benefit him and everyone around him
Goodluck
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could be global developmental delay but because of the obsession with specific things like the doors and totally acting like no ones talking to him… sounds much more like autism
100% suggest getting his ears checked for fluid. My son never seem to be in pain or have infections but kept having fluid buildup. He couldn’t hear well at all until he had his tubes done. Maybe its enough discomfort that he wants his dad constantly. Imagine seeing everything going on but sound was muffled …almost scary for a toddler.
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If he’s not jumping at sudden noises I’d be having a hearing test asap he also could have fuild in the ears that may need draing it can cause hearing loss
If it’s a hearing iuese then this will put him behind in speech in the mean time start with easy baby sign laungre to get him learning to be able to tell you what he needs make the sign show him and say the word e.g. drink do the drink sign show him the cup and say drink
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Sounds like he needs a hearing test
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This being your nephew and not your child might be a little difficult. As parents we are naturally protective of our babies. I guess it would depend on how they would react when confronted. Will they be angry and offended? Will they know where he should be developmentally? Surely he is seen by a Dr. for checkups.
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I would start by taking him to the Dr, hearing seems to be an issue. I would start there and then go from there. Good luck!
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My daughter was the same way, she was little delayed in responding talking etc. It turned out she just had fluid in her ears which was causing her to be “delayed”.
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Get him evaluated it sounds like he’s on the spectrum, both of my siblings are and we’re exactly like this. He could be having hearing issues as well! A lot of children need tubes placed to drain the fluid buildup.
It could possibly be signs of early autism, hearing problems, or development delays. My son was diagnosed at 2 1/2. He exhibited many of the traits you’ve mentioned. Our doctor was the one who suggested he should be tested.
My son went through something similar and it was his ears. They gave him tubes so maybe check his ears first. That makes a world of a difference my son started verbalizing more after his tubes.
I’ve had this same experience. My son was evaluated at age two for autism and he wasn’t autistic. He was then evaluated for speech delay and SPD (sensory disorder) and that’s what came back positive. He’s now 5 years old and is receiving speech and occupational therapy at school. They probably won’t evaluate till age two but doesn’t hurt to get early diagnosis for either of those things.
My boy turns 3 in 2 weeks and was exactly the same but small things change, he doesnt speak yet, and he isnt deaf, we thought autism too but the health visitor didn’t, I’m thinking it’s because I’ve given him everything he ever needs before he tries to ask for it so he’s not bothered to try and communicate. I’m waiting for him to start nursery in September and in almost certain it’ll change then. I dont think its anything to worry about if he gets what he needs every day. Knowing if something is up will not make much of a difference than if nothing was wrong. If once he starts school and things are picked up then they will be worked on. He is just the person he is and shouldn’t be expected to meet developmental stages exactly the same time as google babies.
I’d suggest a hearing test but it does sound a lot like autism.
Sounds like autism quicker the diagnosis on any delay quicker to get the help he needs
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I would be looking into autism
Have his hearing checked
You go online and do the M-Chat questionnaire. This will then give you an indication of whether the child should be tested for Autism. Early intervention is the best option for children with ASD so getting testing done early is very important.
Early intervention is essential to assist you improving outcomes. Is there anyone else in the family with Autism? Does the child walk on his tippy toes, is he sensitive to noise, does he flap his hands or do other repetitive behaviours?