The Department of Occupational Therapy at NYU selected the ePortfolio of 2023 OTD Graduate Jamie Friedman to highlight an exceptional doctoral level research project.
Dr. Jamie Friedman's ePortfolio
The Handwriting is on the Wall is a comprehensive examination of handwriting development for beginning writers. The ePortfolio begins with a systematic review that investigates the impact of occupational therapy on handwriting acquisition. Evidence emerged suggesting that occupational therapy involvement with handwriting instruction delivered both reactively (after children have been identified with a handwriting difficulty), and proactively (for children without identified handwriting dysfunction), significantly improves handwriting outcomes.
The ePortfolio also includes artifacts that: examine the efficacy of current handwriting instruction/intervention practices; explore the effect of specific occupational performance skills on handwriting characteristics, and provide targeted interventions; deconstruct the benefits and shortcomings of handwriting and keyboarding; and investigate how children learn to draw allographs, or letter forms.
The ePortfolio concludes with a detailed focus on the handwriting learning process. Through a developed frame of reference, theoretical elements of graphic behavior are examined to predict how children typically choose starting points and organize stroke patterns when constructing letters. The competence project, Letter-Perfect Handwriting Instruction (L-Phi), integrates graphic behavior with motor learning theory and evidence-based research to produce a methodologically driven handwriting instruction workbook. Future plans include the continued development and research of L-Phi.
Jamie Friedman, was the winner of the 2nd Annual Hinojosa Doctoral Award. Friedman lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio with her husband, Larry, and their two children, Blake (11) and Audrey (8). After 20 years as an occupational therapist, she decided to change the focus of her practice from adult rehab to pediatrics, and came to NYU to complete her clinical doctoral degree.