Editor’s Note – May 2023

Welcome to the May edition of AMYGDALA launched at the end of the month like never before. Sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to and we have to acknowledge them and keep going. I was waiting so long to publish the May edition as I wanted to include information from the Middletown Conference on Autism in Belfast and what I’ve learned from the researchers and authors in the area of Autism. I only touched the surface this month by mentioning who was at the conference and I’m still working on the articles for the June edition.

I didn’t want to overwhelm my readers with the information, so I decided to start with the amazing art exhibition on what Autism means to people on the spectrum. There were a lot of touching descriptions, my favourite one was with the love for numbers. Please take a moment and look at the art and have a moment for reflection.

May is a month of Mary and celebration of the First Holy Communion for schools with catholic ethos. I hope everyone enjoyed this sacrament.

I am pleased to announce that AMYGDALA publishing is an official distributor of JollyHeap®! JollyHeap® Magnetic Blocks are a great tool for educators. The JollyHeap® Magnetic Blocks teach creativity, group work, counting and shape recognition. The blocks also help to develop logical thinking when matching the negative and positive magnets. Great for hand eye coordination, concentration and developing manual skills. The possibilities are endless with JollyHeap® Magnetic Blocks. JollyHeap are innovative soft magnetic blocks which come in a variety of geometric shapes.

I am also working on the website for the magazine to allow more of an interactive experience for my readers, to provide discussion forums, to create an engaged community of readers. Hopefully it will be ready to use in July.

As always, I am encouraging you to read the Not-so-secret Diary of an SNA to see a typical day of an SNA and to see things from a different perspective. Sometimes we are an inspiration to keep us going as our job is not always easy. Rachael Brick is sharing her experience with us this month!

I invited Eimear Ryan, a Speech and Language Therapist, to tell us more about dysfluency, stuttering & stammering. She also wrote a book called “Anna’s Big Shopping Adventure” with the aim of supporting families who are waiting to access services and/or looking for practical support. She hopes this book will empower parents to feel proactive about supporting their child’s language development, and of course, she hopes children benefit from and enjoy the book too!

I was a member of the Amber Flag Committee and I’m glad to announce that my school got the flag! I am generally a huge supporter of Well-being for children and school staff, so I was delighted to get my certificate. You can find interesting information in our SNA WELLNESS ZONE.

I had the opportunity to take part in a Ceremonial Cacao and Yin Yoga and I invited Karen O’Shea to tell us about the benefits of both – cacao and yin yoga.

I’m also recommending a book called GLOW by Georgie Crawford, an inspirational story with five steps to create the life you dream about. It is a great book if you are into self-development like me.

June is nearly here. See you soon.

Happy Reading!

Yours,

MAGDALENA LANDZIAK

EDITOR

May Contents:

The Not-So-Secret Diary by Rachael Brick.

JollyHeap – Magnetic Blocks for mainstream and special classes featured by AMYGDALA.

Dysfluency, stuttering, stammering by Eimear Ryan – CORU and IASLT registered Speech and Language Therapist.

Anna’s Big Shopping Adventure. Eimear Ryan interviewed by Magdalena Landziak

Accessing Special Education Services in Ireland. Aisling Doyle interviewed by Magdalena Landziak.

Creative Voices Art Exhibition. Middletown Centre for Autism Conference in Belfast by Magdalena Landziak.

Middletown Conference and their Speakers. Why is it important to know all the names? By Magdalena Landziak.

SNA Wellness Zone – Ceremonial Cacao in combination with Yin Yoga by Karen O’Shea.

SNA Travel Zone – ADARE MANOR, Co. Limerick by Magdalena Landziak.

SNA Fashion Zone for WOMEN by Magdalena Landziak.

SNA Fashion Zone for MEN by Magdalena Landziak.

SNA Books Zone by Magdalena Landziak.