ABSTRACTTHE IMPACT OF EMPLOYMENT ON PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AMONG TRANSITION-AGE YOUTH WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (TAY-ASD). Brooke L. Goodspeed Matthew D. McHugh There is a dearth of literature examining employment as a social determinant of health among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) despite notable disparities in both employment rates and excess morbidity and mortality for individuals with ASD. This study explored the impact of participation in employment on health outcomes in transition-age young adults with autism spectrum disorder (TAY-ASD). Specifically, this dissertation aimed to determine if 1a) participation in employment in the past two years for TAY-ASD is associated with current ratings of physical health and emotional well-being (adjusted for demographics, and baseline health and baseline functional status) (Aim 1A); 2b) to determine if levels of baseline health and baseline functional status for TAY-ASD moderate the effect of employment on health outcomes (adjusted for demographics) (Aim 1B); and 2) to determine whether greater levels of cumulative employment exposure are associated with better current ratings of physical health and emotional well-being among TAY-ASD (adjusted for demographics and baseline health and baseline functional status) (Aim2). This study was a longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), a nationally representative sampling of secondary students receiving special education services. Logistic regression was used to model the impact of participation in employment on health outcomes. There was no significant influence of participation in employment in the past two years on current ratings of physical health or emotional well-being, and this relationship was not moderated by baseline functional status or baseline physical health. Longer duration of employment exposure was significantly associated with better current ratings of physical health and with better ratings of two (of five) measures of emotional well-being (feeling hopeful and people dislike me) among TAY-ASD. The findings from this dissertation highlight the complex relationship that exists for TAY-ASD between employment and health outcomes, and how duration of employment exposure is a critical factor to consider when evaluating the influence of employment on health and well-being.