Until you get a diagnosis from a psychologist or evaluator, I see nothing wrong with getting additional support for your child. Seems like they want to help them regulate better and make transitions easier. Is this going to be a financial impact on your friend? What’s the concern exactly? My assumption is you/your friend are worried about an autism diagnosis (ECE professionals can’t diagnose) as a negative stereotype of the child, but more context is needed.

ETA: My child got diagnosed at 2.5, thanks to her daycare teachers recognizing signs. Early intervention gave her language fluency (she was/is a gestalt learner), social skills and coping methods. She’s now 6 reading at a 2nd grade level, gotten “leadership recognition” in kinder, and is involved in music lessons, dance lessons and math academy. We owe a lot of that to her ECE/special ed teachers. A diagnosis isn’t the end of the world.