Turn Taking

The pragmatic skill of alternating speaking and listening roles during conversation, including knowing when to speak, how long to speak, and how to signal readiness to yield or take a turn. Turn taking is a fundamental component of social communication that children typically develop through natural interaction but which can be challenging for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) due to the time required to compose messages and the asymmetry between aided and unaided communication partners. AAC systems and interventions often explicitly address turn taking through features like quick phrases, message prediction, or structured activities like joke-telling that practice conversational initiation and response.