Many children are uncomfortable around unfamiliar people. I remember being scared of a man who worked at a restaurant my family went to as a child. I don't know why except he wanted to talk with me and I didn't want anything to do with him. Small children hide behind a parent when someone they don't know or remember tries to interact.
One thing I have learned about many children with learning differences is that unfamiliar adults can trigger behaviors. Another lesson I've learned is many of these children don't recognize people that I think they should. It takes longer for a person to become familiar to them. I saw this very clearly a few years ago. My son and I were walking through a department store at the mall. A woman working there said hi to us and I stopped and talked with her for a few minutes. As we left the store, I asked my son, "Did you know who that lady was? He answered, " I've never seen her before in my life!" The reality was he had seen her many times. She was a mom to one of his classmates and he had been at lots of school events with her but he didn't have a significant relationship with her to remember her face.
It takes many of these children more time to recognize adults which can cause them to act out behaviorally to someone they "should know." Helping children to make connections with adults you know with lessen these behavioral responses. Preparing children and filling in the blanks with information may help. "We are going to see John. He is daddy's friend who can talk like Donald Duck. You loved playing catch with him at the lake last summer."
Patience, understanding and a little intervention can help children handle being around people they consider to be unfamiliar.
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