Social issues is merely one aspect of Autism. I'm sure you've seen the criteria, but a child who's only symptom is social problems is unlikely to be autistic.
My son is PDD-NOS, and his case is considered 'mild', but he's had MASSIVE trouble in the past making friends and fitting in at school. He's made great strides in the past few months, but he's often completely unaware of other people's emotions/interests/intents. It's not that he can't be empathetic, but that it doesn't even occur to him to evaluate other people's behavior unless he's bored. This year, for the first time, after months of fiddling with medication and finding a behavioral therapist, my son has FRIENDS at school. Boys his own age.
Sorry for my random outburst... I've been reading a lot lately on another site about people suggesting autism at the drop of a hat just because a child is shy, or throws a tantrum or has a speech delay! Autism is so much more than that, and I don't think it does kids who actually have an ASD any favors to 'normalize' it and make it seem like tons of people have it, and oh, it's not big deal, just a little autistic!
