Editor’s Note – October 2022

Welcome to the OCTOBER issue!

At this stage, you all probably know the meaning of the magazine title and how important the amygdala is in relation to autism. At this point, I would like to say a huge thank you to all of those who purchased the magazine including schools and individual readers. The amount of positive feedback I received was so overwhelming! I cannot put into words how grateful I am for all your kind words and support. This magazine would have never worked out so well without all people who contributed to the SEPTEMBER edition. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you: SEPTEMBER writers, SNAs and professionals who fulfilled the pages with wisdom, experience and knowledge in the area of Special Needs Education and other aspects of SNA life, like wellbeing. Your contribution is much appreciated.

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. It is a time to celebrate people with Down Syndrome and make others aware of their abilities and accomplishments. I was thrilled to interview Pádraig, whose achievements are very impressive. Pádraig has won many awards and he is a host of the Monday Motivation ‘Paudcast’. He loves promoting the message of inclusion, diversity and ability. He is a huge believer that disability should not mean inability.

The OCTOBER edition, as promised, will concentrate on different aspects of special needs education. As our profession is mainly dominated by females, I am super happy to introduce Derek Buckley who will share his Not-so-Secret Diary with us. Robbie O’Connell is sharing his perspective as a principal, in building and maintaining positive relationships with SNAs, which will benefit all parties. He encourages to dance tango and to keep smiling ; ) His approach is very proactive and he is supporting the campaign #RespectForSnas.

As we know, our role is of non-teaching nature, but we can assist students in so many ways. Roisín Hayes is sharing her knowledge in the area of music therapy and she encourages SNAs to sing along with students and to be more open when it comes to singing 🙂 Nadine Lavery is showing us how we can help students with physical disabilities and she shares an important message about ‘’lettuce’’ with us.

Laura Crowley tells us about hidden anxiety in the classroom and she explains some of the different ways people respond to stress/anxiety. Stephanie O’Connor wrote about the importance of using declarative language in the classroom and Heather O’Shea wrote about Trauma Informed Care. The main aim of this magazine is to provide professional development to SNAs, so we can assist students in more meaningful ways. Sometimes, it is not about what is written in our contract or in the circular, it’s all about gathering knowledge to be able to help children and therefore their parents. There is no doubt that employment rights should be respected and I am glad that I am a member of FORSA, which provides support and help in so many aspects of our professional life.

Linda O’Sullivan was recently nominated as Equality Officer in the FORSA NDNL SNA branch and she is kindly sharing her knowledge about ’72 hours’ which are included in our contract. Mairead O’Connell explains our payslip so we will know all about tax etc.

The articles I have created with many wonderful people are to guide you in your professional and personal life. As an editor, I want us to look at the bigger picture. Narrow thinking is not for our profession. The article about hidden anxiety in the classroom is not for you to replace the teacher or psychologist in their role, it is for you to be able to recognise symptoms and be able to talk with the teacher and the multidisciplinary team about your observations.

The articles are gathered for you to make you aware of different aspects and this is what professional development should be in my opinion. No one is asking you to do more than is required or to replace a teacher in the classroom.

As much as I love professional development, I also love personal development. Therefore, I invited Tara Zgaga to tell us a bit more about sound healing to be able to relax after a busy day at school. Lorna Cannon will take us to Dubai to show us different aspects of personal and professional life. Eoin Sheehan (TV Cook @sixoclockshow) shares his pumpkin soup recipe with us. I love traveling around Ireland, there are so many wonderful places to visit. This time I will share my experience of visiting Bantry House & Gardens. Please share your favourite places with us and we can publish them in the next edition. If you have any other special interests like writing poems or any other hobbies, please let us know. We would love to share them with our readers.

I hope you will enjoy the OCTOBER edition as much as I did. Have a spooky October and …

See you in NOVEMBER!

Yours,
Magdalena Landziak
EDITOR

Contents October:

Limerick Person of the Year. An interview with Pádraig and Brian O’Callaghan.

The Not-So-Secret Diary by Derek Buckley.

A principal’s perspective: the value SNA’s bring to schools’ and how to build and maintain positive relationships which benefits all parties by Robbie O’Connell.

Music Therapy by Roisín Hayes.

Supporting students with physical disabilities by Nadine Lavery.

Declarative Language by Stephanie O’Connor.

Ms Lorna in Dubai by Lorna Cannon.

Trauma Informed Care by Heather O’Shea.

Hidden Anxiety in the Classroom by Laura Crowley.

72 hours by Linda O’Sullivan.

Payslip Explained by Mairéad O’Connel.

SNA First Aid Zone and Treating a Nosebleed in School by Siobhán Butler.

SNA Wellness Zone and Sound Therapy by Tara Zgaga.

SNA Healthy Zone by Eoin Sheehan.

SNA Travel Zone Bantry House & Garden by Magdalena Landziak.

SNA Book Zone by Magdalena Landziak.