My DS1 (3.10) has been identified as having additional needs. We and his preschool think his additional needs are very likely to be the result of Asperger's Syndrome; paediatrician hasn't diagnosed him at this stage but has referred him for various support services. Many/most of his behaviours can be explained either by him being three, and/or by him being autistic. However, there's something that puzzles me: he either cannot or will not name other children most of the time. For instance, if I show him a photo of his cousins (who he sees infrequently but is reminded of quite often) he won't say who they are unless he's just spent the day with them, and even then sometimes not. There have been a couple of occasions when we've run into preschool children in the park and they recognise him and call his name excitedly, but he acts like he's never seen them before in his life. He gets the names of friends he's known all his life muddled up all the time, too - it's like he assigns people a name based on their category in his mind, if that makes sense. I don't know if I'm explaining this very well, but it often seems more than just not remembering the name - he gets a sort of shuttered look if we run into children he knows (or ought to know) and seems a bit upset or embarrassed when asked casually to name photos of cousins or whoever. I suppose what I'd like to know is, is this an aspect of ASD that other parents have come across, is it just how some 3 year olds are, or could it be a sign of something else that I need to investigate? I'd be very grateful for any input.