Putting last class behind me

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I take a sign language class, I've taken sign language before and was fine, a bit difficult continuing conversations in sign; once you've gone over it once I feel uncomfortable going over the same sentence again. In this new class I'm struggling to take notes, but still fine.

Last class we were in a different room and had chairs in a circle in the centre of the room so we all could see each other, I was sat next to a girl who wouldn't practice with me - she instantly went into signing on her own, totally ignoring me so I was signing to myself, making it very difficult to practice. This girl sat one person over from me in the class the week before, showed me no attention at all so guess it's just how she is or she's just taken a dislike to me - she MAY have heard me mention asperger's that week and she MAY have made a comment about autism, but I can't say for certain though.

When the teacher came round to ask questions in sign I was unable to reply due to lack of practice (and tension of having the whole class watching me), I ended up coping with this by focusing on my text book so the teacher would pass me by - the teacher did a little shrug every time because I was essentially ignoring her. This has meant that the teacher and the class are now thinking I was the one not wanting to practice with this other girl, and that I'm being awkward.

I'm a bit worried no one is going to want to partner with me now or want anything to do with me, and that the teacher will treat me differently because she'll think I'm being awkward, so making class harder - plus you know what it's like, NT's don't understand you so they seem to just take a dislike of you. During next class I should sit next to someone else, I want to make a point of saying 'At least this week I get a chance to practice' to show that it wasn't me at fault last lesson...but I know this isn't how you're supposed to act.

I don't think this is enough to raise it as an issue with the teacher (it'd be difficult to write it all down for her anyway) or to see the ASD adviser in student support - not sure what they could do anyway, it'd mean going into college several hours early, and generally it would be more stressful than just going to class as if nothing happened. Any ideas on how to just get over it?

You can do two basic things.

1. Sit next to another student...hopefully they won't have an issue practicing with you.

2. Have a word with the teacher...tell her that your "partner" was not practicing with you and you were forced to practice alone.

It's the teacher's job to ensure you are learning. If your "partner" is not doing the job, the teacher needs to do something about it.

It's gone from bad to worse.

In class today I was paired up with someone - fine, only they were too scared to start the conversation so another teacher came in to help as well as to have the conversation with us individually, I declined to practice with just the teacher, I'd rather practice with my peers.

The teacher was having one-to-ones, mine was first - no doubt it was because I was seen as struggling.
She asked if I was finding the course okay, and did not believe me when I said I was, then she went on to say she had been told I was an aspie...that sign language has a lot of eye contact so if I couldn't get over this issue I would fail - I find eye contact uncomfortable but I had NO PROBLEM making eye contact, I assume she thinks being aspie I must have these problems, which annoyed me a little.

I went back into the class to find the person I had paired up with had gone to join another group - fine, only there was no welcoming me into the group. SOOOOOO I spent the rest of the lesson sitting on my own looking like a complete and utter outcast, which made me feel just swell, and of course it means I don't get to practice my signing. Someone did eventually ask me to join their group, by this time I had been stewing, mad that the other students ignore me, that the teacher can see me sitting there being ignored and even come over to me to ask if I'm okay but do nothing about my being ignored by other students...basically I was close to a meltdown, and really didn't want to have to join a pity group when I was about to cry my eyes out.

Another teacher came to practice with me - HOORAY!! - only she is Southern so uses a different dialect so signs I don't know, I ask her to repeat and explain these signs but she doesn't understand and repeats the easy signs instead. So I feel stupid.

I REALLY love sign language, but this is really starting to upset me and the ignorance of the students around me means that I'm not getting to practice so I'm not going to pass the course. I threw out the email of the Autism Support guy...I'm thinking maybe I should find a way to get it again and try emailing him about this.

I went through basically the exact same thing when I took a German class a few years ago. I really hate language classes. I ended up passing, barely, because I was not able to relate with anyone else and during the group work nobody would pair with me and I find the idea of wandering around trying to get into a group absolutely distasteful. I can't think up spontaneous conversation about nothing, especially in a different language, just to practice. Frankly I need to practice spontaneous conversation before I could ever be good at that. I decided to go with an auto-didactic method of learning the language and its been slow but I prefer it. Sign language is obviously a different story but I don't think introductory language classes are very good places for people with Aspergers. I took German just so I could read the language not to converse with anybody really, so its a bit different for me I suppose, but I feel your pain Bloodheart.

I had about the same issues as you when I took Chinese, Vigilans. I hated just about everyone in my class, and they hated me too. It was really a pain in the ass, because at the end of every term we had to do a skit/video with a group. I'd always have to be paired with some random people, because I had no friends (in that class OR in college as a whole). I dealt with it for 2 years... somehow...

At least I'm not the only one to experience this.

It is ridiculous, part of joining college was to meet new people and it's not like I'm a horrible person or that I'm bad in the class...if I had the chance to bloody practice I'd be one of the best in the class - yes I am a little arrogant, but in all seriousness I am good at sign language!

I hate that the teacher does f**k all about it though, surely it's her job to make sure I'm able to do the work...more so if she knows I'm aspie too, surely? She must realise that this isn't my fault, and that even if I was behind or struggling in class...THIS is why!

I relate to you, Bloodheart. I’ve always been the outcast in groups too, whether they just ignored me or left it up to me to do all the work Funnily enough, mine was a language class too— for adults. I wonder if it was the classroom setting that made everyone revert back to their high school cliques?