I was very interested in your question as I teach at a college level American Sign Language.  Often I have students from East Asia come in to my classes because they are not only fascinated by the language itself, but are interested in special education and deaf cultural issues in the United States.

I have noticed that many of these students are quite shy and defer to the teacher for all discussion while the local students are more engaged in conversations.   Asian born students who have lived in the U.S. for some time, however, tend to adopt more western forms of learning and associating with teachers and peers.

Often it is the teachers responsibility to try and bridge the gap by pairing East Asians with American students within the classroom.  Also, asking about their home culture and educational experiences is of value to help with their transition.  For example,  I have found out that many of my students did not understand "deaf culture" as that was not existent in their home country.  (For some, the deaf are hidden and thought of as retarded and unable to be educated)  This sharing of information also opened the eyes to many of the American students who did not consider deafness a disability as they live in an area where deaf people and hearing people live and work together very well.

I found an interesting article which I have posted below the source.
http://tesl-ej.org/ej39/a2.pdf