Editor’s Note – November 2022

Welcome to the November issue!

Welcome back after the mid-term break everyone. I hope you all enjoyed Halloween and you are ready to rock and roll for Christmas 😉 The Christmas decorations are in nearly every shop now and it’s a little bit scary (even though Halloween is over). Every year I have the impression that the decorations are out too early and we are exposed to Christmas a long time before the preparation is supposed to begin! Amygdala is expanding and I added a few new sections. I hope you will enjoy them. Many of you said that you would prefer to have AMYGDALA in a printed version, but the same number of readers said they prefer the electronic version as it is handy to read it on mobile phones in any place. My aim was to supply the magazine to every school in Ireland. I am offering the magazine to many schools, and many schools have purchased it for their SNAs, therefore showing SNAs respect and gratitude for their dedicated work. The schools can purchase the yearly subscription (electronic version) for €150 for all SNAs in the school. It is a one time payment covering all SNAs. So if your school didn’t purchase the magazine yet, you can ask your Principal/BOM for the subscription. The magazine can be treated as an investment in SNAs training and self-development. We all know how important it is to be aware of different strategies and resources, which will help and support our wonderful pupils/students. Every edition is made of different types of articles for professional and personal development.

The stars of this edition are definitely Zorro and Daihi. Last year I was supporting My Canine Companion, but I never thought that a year later I would have a magazine and two wonderful dogs from this organisation on the cover page. Thanks to Heather O’Shea who interviewed Katie, we can see how important pets/animals are in children’s lives, especially in a school environment. This month Sarah Murray will take us on a journey throughout challenging behavior in the classroom. She will show us how we can reframe the name of this behaviour to be able to change our attitude towards such behavior and therefore help the students. She speaks about ‘’the essential eight’’ and ‘’the task-mask’’. Paula Byrne will talk about something that may relate more to students in secondary schools. Paula developed a new menstrual educational program called ‘’The Mindful Cycle’’. She is talking about the basics, understanding how it might impact students and how to offer support and self-care.

As always, I will take you through different ZONES which are all about our personal development and growth. As we know, we don’t live only to work, we work to live the way we want, and we need to remember to have a good life work balance. I got an invitation to an event about assistive technology in education and I will have a chance to try: OrCam, FindMy Flow, Pro-Study, Lightkey, ReadSpeaker, TextAid and much more so I cannot wait to describe everything in the DECEMBER edition.

November Contents:

The Not-So-Secret Diary by Jackie Walsh.

What does AI (ChatGPT) have to do with a podcast. By Magdalena Landziak.

Rare Conditions – Rare Ireland. Louise O Keeffe interviewed by Magdalena Landziak.

Vicarious Trauma: An Occupational Reality for Special Needs Assistants. By Nicola Culloty – Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, founder of Full Circle CBT.

The Strengths – Based Guide to Supporting Autistic Children. The author Claire O’Neill interviewed by Magdalena Landziak.

CrowdSign ISL – a community driven dictionary for the Irish Sign Language founded by Padraic McDonagh. The author of the App interviewed by Magdalena Landziak.

”My Busy Popcorn Mind”. Written by Jackie Farrell and illustrated by Addison Carey.

”The Little Otter Who Tried’’. Katie O’Donoghue interviewed by Magdalena Landziak.

SNA Wellness Zone -Understanding your Inner Child. By Sylwia Kuchenna – Psychotherapist, founder and CEO of Horizon Mental Health Clinic.

SNA Wellness Zone – INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE by Carmel Buckley.

SNA Travel Zone – BROMORE CLIFFS by Magdalena Landziak.

SNA Fashion Zone for WOMEN by Magdalena Landziak.

SNA Fashion Zone for MEN by Magdalena Landziak.