Robb and I recently created our first handshake. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but we were hanging out and Robb signed swing, swim, and then said ahh. I then did the same thing back to him, and for the past couple of months, our greetings have consisted of us doing a synchronized swing, swim, ahh.
Describing how I communicate with Robb is always so difficult because it is completely different from how I would communicate with anyone else. It is a mix of modified sign, sounds, words, feet thumping and hand clapping which even an onlooker would have trouble deciphering. However, anyone who has gotten to know Robb knows that when Robb is thumping his feet he is happy, if he is jumping he is ecstatic, if he signs hamburger he wants you to talk, and mumum means that Robb wants all eyes on him.
It always makes me wonder what is going on in my brother's head. There is something so clear and deliberate about his actions, but while I know much of what it means, I will never know how he created this language for himself. He has found a mode of communication which while different, certainly works for him, and which I find to be a refreshing change from the millions of mixed signals and nuances we use everyday.
Oftentimes, there seems to be a misconception that this language is equivalent to what an infant might do which leads people to use high pitched voices and "baby-talk" with Robb. This is not just demeaning, but also just blatantly false. I have seen Robb's language grow and evolve over time, and the fact that he has been able to develop his own form of communication is remarkable in its own right. We may not ever be able to communicate completely, but at the same time, I think our communication will always be filled with more honesty and sincerity than my conversations with any other person I know.
So though its full meaning may seem unclear, please know the next message comes from the heart: *swing* *swim* ahhhhh
