A little help please

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Hey all just wanted to know if anyone has any tips for me please.
I start college again Jan 8th and I'm taking a speech and communication class (It's regquried by the college) the only thing is from what I read is that you give a speech in front of the class about various topics. My problem is this : with my autism i dont do very well talking in front of more then 1 or 2 people and im really scared about this class, i dont want to fail it due to the fact that my brain isnt wired like the rest of my class. How do i take this class and still keep some what of a calm state of mind? any advice would be great! thank you in advance

Really? I do not know if this is ok, or even doable. GizmoGirl, I do not know you. However, if this where me, this class, as you've decribed would simply NOT be possible for me. If this course makes you beyond awkwardly uncomfortable, I would suggest you see either Disability Services/Health Center/Human Resources, whichever is appropriate, at your college if this expectation is unreasonable for you, given your AS. That being said, I find no reason NOT to push yourself and try. But, again, if this is just 'too much,' ask for accommodations. Only you can know this.

Ooooo. Bummer! I had a hell of a time with a similar course, required, couldn't get out of it. All I can say is:

1) rehearse until you know precisely what you are going to say
2) time yourself while you practice it - use a watch with a second hand on it so you know if you're close to the time limits given by your instructor (if any)
3) look around the room in the general direction of the people there. i found that looking at foreheads worked way better than making eye contact, and the instructor graded as if i'd made eye contact (was clueless)
4) take it pass/no pass if that's an option.

Good luck! Remember, all you probably need is a "C" to pass. Then it's over! - N

tell the teacher about your condition. maybe he/she would understand and would replace your requirement for talking in front of the whole class to talking in front of a smaller audience

Yeah, this speech and communication business is all very well - in theory. But having to stand up and talk in front of a roomful of people? Not my idea of fun, either.

The traditional advice to the nervous speechmaker is to imagine the audience caught out in public with only their knickers on. I think that'd make it even harder for yer average Aspie: "Gotta keep my act together here. Intro, three main points, conclusion. Guy in the front row: is he more a bikini type, or are we talkin' daggy Y-fronts? Red satin boxers, now that's just plain silly. Oh shite, where was I again?"

Nan's advice is excellent. Nothing like a tight, well-rehearsed script to make you feel more confident.

Thinking along the same lines as aaronrey: maybe you could request to do a piece-to-camera, and have this played to the class instead?

1. tell your professor about your diagnosis.

2. If your college offers disability services, which it should if you are in the US, get such services ASAP.

3. Rehearse the speech a lot, in front of friends of classmates if you can.



The strange this is that I am much more comfortable with giving a more informal lecture in which I can pace around the room then giving a formal speech behind a podium, maybe because I am not so bothered by people looking at me when I am wandering around the front of the room while talking.

Join the theatre.

that's my advice.

I have the same issue as well, but thankfully being a writing lit major, I either have to do Comm classes or take theatre classes. I took theatre, the fact that I could have been a theatre major........but because I didn't want to not have a social life or a love life or be hated by everyone, I became a writing lit major. anyhow.

I had to give a presentation in front of my class in high school and the one thing that helped me most was knowing my information backwards, forwards, upside down and inside out... almost to the point of being able to answer questions about the topic in my sleep. A couple things that helped me were

* having someone to go over the presentation with beforehand and critique how it was laid out. I got asked a lot of questions by this person and asked for clarification before I stood up in front of my class.
* eye contact is kind of a lost cause, but I spent most of my time looking at people's ears. It's a tip a friend of mine in theater told me that helps her a lot.
* find a way to relax yourself before the speech. Get a good rest the night before, eat well and don't stress out. Remember that it's not the end of the world if you don't do as well as you wanted to do.