Or the illegitimate offspring of Tiny Tim.

It depends on the spectrum. Typically, autistic people have very narrow, specialized sets of interests, and they try to use those interests as a means of connecting to the world outside their head.

That said, there are also people who say, "I'm autistic! That means *you* have to make allowances for *my* poor social skills, and not the other way around!" These are the people I'd like to bury in their hug-boxes.