Is Social Skills Deficit Really the Core of Autism-Physicall

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-Physically?

Or is the social skills deficit a byproduct of something else that is different which also has other effects?

For example, dyslexia's symptomology is that the person has trouble with reading but 9 times out of 10 this trouble is rooted in neurology that has trouble keeping track of the difference between "left" and "right" and the main symptom that is noted is "trouble with reading" because it's the one society notices the most. This is only the case for dyslexia in languages that rely on an alphabet. Languages that use symbols like Chinese have shown that dyslexia there is based on problems with visual memory.

Similarly, could the "social skills deficit" be the byproduct of something else that is more central to autism, something that might not even be in the official criteria?

It almost seems to me that given time to deeply analyze a social situation I'd figure out what to do pretty well. But social situations rarely allow for that compared to most other situations.
Also, I tend to make mistakes over simple things if I have to do something fast in general, especially if the other person speaks with a sense of urgency, that just naturally communicates to me "I want this done fast" and then I'll tend to make more mistakes. There's one person in particular I know who I have this problem with, and then naturally he gets more abrasive, and I start screwing up even more.

I also seem to absorb information better when I'm what NTs would call "bored". I notice that as people, including parents teach "social skills" it's often done in an overly excited, dramatic manner. That seems to overload my senses, and makes it harder for me to learn. Countless times people have been like "I'm trying to impress upon you", which to me indicates that most NTs learn better this way. But if they want me to change they'd be better off telling me things in a dull, detached sounding way. I get too distracted and nervous otherwise.

Indeed I had all As throughout elementary school, then floundered a little my first semester in middle school, my parents came down hard, and I never fully got back to having all As. Could it be that my mind now associates what used to be pleasantly boring with too much stress?

It's a difference in neurology. It's either hyperconnectivity or a lack of connectivity between certain structures in the brain that deal with human social interaction. From what I have read, this exists usually in the Amygdala or the prefrontal cortex.

Yeah, cuts down on the processing. I'm the same. I have an easy time absorbing information from sources many people find "dry"

Unfortunately teaching and other information media are moving in precisely the opposite direction.