We have been alternating the choice of target issues with this client: One session working on “talking with family” and the next working on “learning new things with others.” Is this good to continue, or is there a better strategy?

We see this as a nice balance; both are not only important but critical hurdles that need to be addressed and mastered for him to make significant progress in gaining higher abilities to interact and become verbal so he is intelligible in his communications and can handle an interchange with family members without becoming overwhelmed. Both are equally a challenge for him but the two are mutually reinforcing, so in the same way they are each a formidable obstacle as they are minimized in their influence and hold on him, the gains will be all the more dramatic and achievable sooner rather than later when there are gains on both fronts working together to help him progress.