Dealing with clients is probably the biggest personal challenge. I'm not much of a people person, and I find it hard to converse with friends and people I've known for years, let alone clients who are looking for answers for why things aren't working, and wanting you to explain exactly (but in simple terms) why a thing that seems simple is so complicated.

Another challenge, which is somewhat related is expressing myself. This again, stems from not being super great or comfortable in conversations, but as a dev, even among other devs, your opinion on things gets asked a lot. For someone who was used to sticking with the status quo and mostly agreeing with things, stuff like peer code reviews, or giving pointers on how to implement something is a big challenge (but I'm improving)

Stick at it, it can be trial and error, sometimes its just a case of feeding fact nicely dressed in bovine excrement.

You're not alone in this. Most programmers here, and probably most in the world have trouble socializing, especially with clients.

I'm sure a fair share of us feel like we're socially inept or unacceptable in a standard environment. I know I did for a long time. But what I've come to realize is that we're just different. Our minds are programmed differently from the norm. Sometimes it can feel like an unshakeable curse, but I prefer to see it as a gift.

Most people shuffle through life accepting things at face value. Not us! We challenge the norm in search of the abnormal. While others may look at a watch as just a watch, we see it for the gears, springs and meticulous construction that it is. I count my blessings every day that I don't have to shuffle along with the blinders of normalcy everyday.

As for clients, they just don't get it, and never will. I just tell them that. If they want me to "explain it in plain English", that's when I offer tutoring services. That shuts them up.