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Or would that be the lack thereof.

When Brother was little, he would plop himself down as if he fell to start a conversation with someone.  It was painful to watch.  I just thought he was weird.  It turns out he was trying to communicate and that was the only way he could.  It was awkward to say the least.

Things haven't changed much; his efforts are still pretty awkward.

One of the things he uses to start a conversation is to ask a question.  Unfortunately, the other kids have been asked the same question over and over.  Sometimes they ignore him.  Sometimes they give a slurred answer hoping he'll walk away.  It's still painful to watch.

He has better luck with adults because adults can ask more leading questions and get the conversation moving.  

Social cues are difficult for him to pick up on too.  He can't read faces very well although I think he's become an expert on mine (especially when we're working on math).  

Sometimes I think he can oblivious to other kids ignoring him, but I've found out that he knows.  He understands that they're being mean.  I just don't think he knows how to handle it.  It's tough being known as the annoying one by some of the bigger kids.  

One thing that we can do is help him by role playing.  His mind is like a computer.  If he's had an experience similar to what's happening, he can retrieve the proper response from his brain.  However, if something is completely beyond his experience, it can be tough.  Nothing is intuitive about interaction with other people.

If you know a person with autism.  Give him a chance.  Help him with his conversation.  And, if he rattles on too long about his obssession current interest, just tell him flat out that he's talking about it too much.  Usually, he doesn't even realize it.