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The incredible story of how a student who couldn’t speak graduated with first class honours

15 Jul 2025 5 minute read
USW law graduate Ally Dowse

A Law student who has battled with situational mutism since school – and was unable to speak to her lecturers at an open day – has defied all odds and is graduating with a first class honours degree from the University of South Wales.

Ally Dowse, 24, was diagnosed with situational mutism (SM) at the age of 12. The condition is an anxiety disorder where a person is able to speak fluently in some situations but cannot physically speak in others – often having a blank expression or appearing ‘frozen’ when expected to speak.

After being diagnosed with autism during the last few weeks of primary school, Ally struggled with the transition to secondary education, and so being homeschooled by her mum was the only option.

Ally continued to try mainstream, SEN schools and other educational placements throughout her early teenage years with little success, but she did manage to sit her GCSEs at home. Then she eventually found an online school called King’s InterHigh, where she was able to study A levels, including Maths, English, and Law.

“At this point I hadn’t left the house for almost two years,” said Ally. “So being able to study online and get the qualifications I so desperately wanted was a huge relief.

“I never thought I’d be able to get on with online lessons, due to the pressure on me to speak to the teacher in front of everyone, but fortunately I was able to use the text box instead, and record lessons in case I wanted to revisit the content in my own time.

“I was able to email teachers outside of usual school hours, and adapt my timetable to suit me, so it was very flexible and worked really well. It helped me readjust to a learning environment, and I started to feel ready to apply to university.”

Anxiety

But by the time Ally was 21 and researching Law degrees, her anxiety was at its peak and her SM had worsened – so much so that at a USW open day, her mum spoke to the lecturers while Ally typed what she wanted to say into her phone.

“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer – it was just a case of working out how I was going to get there,” said Ally.

“People describe SM as a phobia of speaking, but from what I’ve experienced, it’s not that at all. It renders me unable to speak in certain situations – for me, it’s waiters, waitresses, shopkeepers; all sorts of ‘strangers’ really. No matter how much I try to answer their questions, or start a conversation, nothing will come out. People assume I’m being rude, but it’s just how my SM presents itself.

“Surprisingly though, I improved so much after starting my course at USW. I thought I’d have to just turn up at lectures and leave again, without talking to anyone, but I was able to make friends and contribute to group work, which is something I thought was pretty much impossible.”

Technique

Ally used the ‘sliding-in’ technique – commonly used in speech and language therapy – to help her speak to tutors. This involved sitting down with someone Ally is comfortable speaking to, with the door closed, and gradually opening the door to introduce ‘new’ people into the setting.

“My classmates have been fantastic too,” said Ally. “Everyone just accepted me for who I am, and within two or three times of seeing people, I was able to talk to them, which was unheard of for me. My SM wasn’t an issue for them, which took so much pressure off.”

The USW campus in Usk Way, Newport. Credit: LDRS

Hannah Coburn, Senior Lecturer in Law, was one of the first people to teach Ally.

“Having Ally on the course was a massive learning curve for me,” she said. “She is totally one of a kind, and it has been an honour to get to know her. We are all amazed by her bravery, and how she has progressed so wonderfully through her studies.

“This experience has made us realise that learning doesn’t need to be done in one particular way – not everyone has to take the same steps to reach a goal. It’s about seeing the person, and not be frightened to try new things to find what works best for them.

“We have achieved so much within Law since Ally joined USW – she was the inspiration for our EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) club, which led to Ally and her classmates Billie and Kade to establish the Disability and Neurodiversity Society, which is one of the most populated societies this academic year. Our students have made lasting change, and Ally has been a major part of that.”

Ally said: “Without the right support, I would’ve really struggled to get here. Along the way I had so many people assuming that my conditions meant that I wouldn’t be able to go to university, and they’d put barriers in place because of that. But having the flexibility and patience, like Hannah and the rest of the Law team did, can mean the world of difference. I am a firm believer that if people are in the right environment and are given the tools they need, they can thrive.”


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17 days ago

My concern about this story is that a lawyer presumably needs to communicate with the people she is representing. How is this going to happen?

Amir
Amir
16 days ago

Amazing outcome. Well done to Ally for this brilliant outcome. I wish her all the best for her future. She has overcome many obstacles to achieve this degree. She will face many more , but she will learn to overcome them as well on her path to becoming a great lawyer.

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