Wisconsin Autism Data Science Initiative

Learning from Linked Health and Birth Records

23 Sep 2026

Linked UW Health electronic health records and Wisconsin birth records allow ADSI to examine our research questions in a different, real-world data environment. SEED provides detailed research and clinical information not normally found in health records, while the linked records allow us to examine similar questions using information collected through birth records and routine health care.

Wisconsin birth records provide information from at or around birth, while UW Health electronic health records provide health information over time from routine care. Linking these data provides a different way to examine ADSI research questions.
Linking Wisconsin birth records with UW Health electronic health records provides a different data setting for examining ADSI research questions.

Together, the linked data allow us to:

  • Study autism in a different data setting by linking Wisconsin birth records with health information collected through routine care over time.
  • Examine early-life factors alongside health information collected across different stages of life.
  • See whether patterns observed in detailed research data like SEED are also reflected in large-scale clinical and administrative records.
  • Examine changes over time, including how changes in early-life factors may relate to changes in how common autism is.

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