Wisconsin Autism Data Science Initiative

The Three Pillars of ADSI

30 Apr 2026

Our approach is built on three pillars:

  • data science,
  • public health, and
  • community engagement.

Data science allows us to make use of large and complex sources of information, while public health helps us understand how individual experiences connect to broader population patterns, resources, and health systems. Community engagement ensures that autistic individuals, families, clinicians, and advocates have a meaningful role in shaping the research process. By bringing these perspectives together, we aim to produce research that is both methodologically rigorous and responsive to the priorities, concerns, and lived experiences of the autism community.

Triangle diagram illustrating the three pillars of the ADSI research approach. Data Science contributes data, analytics, and causal models; Public Health contributes understanding of population patterns, resources, and health systems; and Community Engagement contributes lived experience, partnerships, and Community Advisory Board input. Together, these pillars support autism research.
UW–Madison ADSI brings together data science, public health, and community engagement to support rigorous, community-informed autism research.

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