Dr. Mills’s research program employs mixed methods to examine the cognitive, social, and linguistic resources that school-age African American children draw upon to narrate, or tell stories. She directs the Child Language Ability Lab which is currently engaged in projects examining narrative assessment and dialectal code-switching between African American English and Mainstream American English. Dr. Mills teaches her students about language development, language variation, and research methods in communication sciences and disorders. She believes that her utmost vocation, or calling, is to help humans thrive. In addition to her work, Dr. Mills loves being on her couch, cooking, hiking, listening to music, playing with new ideas, reading, spending time with friends and family, and thrift shopping.

Areas of Emphasis:

• Cultural and Linguistic Diversity/Bilingual Speakers/English as a Second Language
• Language/Learning Disabilities
• Language Wellness

Ages of Emphasis:

• Early Elementary (Kindergarten to Grade 6)