This hit a little close to home. I have a young niece who suffers from the same affliction. One day she just stopped talking. She was 6 then. Won't even speak at home. Being that she's only 9, some of the subject matter is a bit too "advanced" for her age. There was however a very strong temptation to send this to her parents and asking them to let her read it. I think she could relate to Komi quite a bit and hopefully help her in the long run.