ok so im writing a character (Alec) that has selective mutism and i want feedback on if these ideas/plot points make sense
Alec at the beginning of the story is like 13. he has a friend (the other main character) named Lorna who's also 13. they're very close. for other reasons Lorna doesn't have any friends other than him and, although kids take interest in the fact he's allowed his phone out at school (he uses it as a AAC when he can't communicate verbally), they aren't really friends with him. so alec and lorna only really have each other. if lorna is present when alec "goes nonverbal" (im not sure if that is the correct term, so please correct me if it isn't. im just not sure what else to call it.) she'll usually just stand beside him in silence for tell him a story or explain so he doesn't have to say anything unless he wants to use his AAC or write something down to communicate.
alec's parents are not very great. they were the perfect and most understanding parents when he was younger (1-6) because they thought he'd "grow out of it" when he got older. but he hasn't done so, so they'll try and "gently" push him to talking by taking his phone for "short" periods of time (hours) in a very bad attempt to get him to talk, and sending him to speech therapy for children much younger than him. alec has expressed that he doesn't like this and it makes him uncomfortable, but they continue to insist that although he's uncomfortable now, he'll be glad he did it later when he was grown. and although they don't say this to his face, they feel deeply embarrassed and angry when he refuses to talk to guests.
and one day, lorna dies. kinda.
lorna's house catches fire one night and Alec is the first to notice the scent of smoke. he gets up and opens his window, and sees Lorna, covered in burns and bruises getting dragged away by theses men he doesn't recognize. with the last of her energy, she calls out to him for help. but when they matter most, his words fail him once again. he freezes up.
there a bright flash of light, and then they're gone.
everyone other than him believes that lorna is dead, or gone permanently in some other way. but he knows she's alive. but whenever he tries to explain what happened, the words vanish, or they simply don't believe him.
after that, he stops talking entirely. for 4 years, exactly. now he's 17.
his parents are even worse now, saying things like "he's almost an adult now and that he has to start using his words or he'll never get anywhere in life." he ignores them and applies to colleges in hopes to become a marine biologist instead. he gets into a really good one.
and one day, after receiving a letter to come to a park on a specific time and date, he hesitantly arrives. and that's when he sees her. Lorna.
anyway that's all i've really come up with that pertains to his SM hehe. constructive criticism is appreciated :)