Cognition in Hearing Special Interest Group
This SIG Spotlight has been provided by the CH SIG Chair Helen Henshaw. (August 2026)
Connecting Cognition, Hearing and Clinical Practice
Over the past year, the Cognition in Hearing Special Interest Group (CH SIG) has continued to bring together clinicians, researchers and other professionals interested in the complex relationship between hearing, cognition and communication. Our work has focused on strengthening our strategic direction, developing clinically relevant guidance, supporting professional discussion and translating emerging evidence into practice.
At the end of 2025, we reviewed our action plan to ensure that the group’s priorities continue to meet the needs of our members and reflect the CH SIG remit. We were also delighted to welcome new members to the steering committee. Their combined clinical and research expertise will help us deliver the next phase of our strategy.
A major priority for the group is improving audiological care for adults living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. During the year, we convened a working group to develop practice guidance on the audiological assessment and management of this population. We are pleased that the proposal for this new guidance has been approved by the BSA Professional Guidance Group (PGG). Developing the guidance will require careful consideration of the evidence, clinical expertise and the experiences of people living with both hearing and cognitive difficulties, but it represents an important step towards more consistent and accessible care.
Our BSA Dementia Network continues to provide an important forum for sharing knowledge, experience and practical learning. The network builds on a growing programme of meetings addressing topics identified by members. Previous discussions have included training and continuing professional development opportunities for those supporting people with hearing and cognitive conditions. The network is almost at 100 members, demonstrating the strong appetite for multidisciplinary learning and knowledge exchange in this area. If you’d like to sign up to future meetings, please complete this form.
Another highlight of the year was our contribution to the HeAL (Hearing Across the Lifespan) conference held in June 2026 in Padova, Italy. With support from the BSA, CH SIG convened a special session titled “New Horizons in Auditory Training”, bringing together an international group of researchers and clinicians to consider how auditory training is evolving and what is needed to translate research into meaningful rehabilitation. You can learn more about the session in an article written for the Q3 2026 Newsletter.
Looking ahead, CH SIG is exploring opportunities to address research priorities identified through the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership on coexisting dementia and hearing conditions. We are also planning an in-person meeting, which will provide an opportunity to review our progress, develop future priorities and strengthen connections across the group.
One continuing challenge is ensuring that we can communicate effectively with everyone who has registered an interest in CH SIG. A substantial number of members are signed up to the group but have not opted in to receive communications, limiting their opportunity to hear about
activities or contribute to our work. We encourage members to check their BSA communication preferences so that they do not miss future meetings, consultations and opportunities to input.
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to CH SIG activities over the past year. Whether presenting at an event, attending a Dementia Network meeting, contributing to guidance development, sharing clinical expertise or lived experience, or through reading our email updates, all of these contributions are essential to the impact of our SIG. Please keep in touch! Email: CHSIG@thebsa.org.uk.
Paediatric Audiology Special Interest Group Spotlight
This SIG Spotlight has been provided by Verity Langlands the PAIG SIG Chair. (August 2026)
Shaping the Future of Paediatric Audiology Together
Over the past year, the Paediatric Audiology Interest Group (PAIG) has continued to focus on one of its core objectives: supporting clinicians through the development of high-quality, evidence-informed guidance for paediatric audiology practice.
Much of our work takes place behind the scenes. Developing guidance is a collaborative process that requires reviewing the available evidence, drawing on clinical expertise from across the UK, reaching professional consensus, engaging in stakeholder consultation, and refining documents through rounds of review. It is a thorough process, but one that ensures the guidance we publish is robust, practical and reflects current best practice.
Over the last year (and more!), PAIG has been progressing a number of significant pieces of work. Our Infant Hearing Aid Fitting Protocol is now out for peer review, and we look forward to it progressing to public consultation in the near future. Alongside this, we have developed new guidance on Performance (Play) Audiometry, with the aim of supporting clinicians in delivering consistent, evidence-based behavioural assessment for young children – which will shortly be out for peer review and consultation. We have also been revising the Behavioural Observation Position Statement, which is now nearing completion and will provide updated recommendations on the role of behavioural observation within the paediatric test battery.
In collaboration with colleagues from BATOD, we have also been reviewing guidance relating to the assessment of children with more complex needs, recognising the importance of multidisciplinary working to ensure all children receive appropriate and equitable hearing assessment. These projects represent just a selection of the work currently underway.
As with many voluntary professional groups, we are balancing an increasing number of requests for guidance with the time and expertise available from committee members. The need for updated resources across paediatric audiology continues to grow, meaning we have had to carefully prioritise those areas where new evidence or evolving clinical practice are likely to have the greatest impact. While this inevitably means some topics progress more slowly than we would like, our commitment remains the same – to produce guidance that clinicians can use with confidence in everyday practice.
Beyond guidance development, PAIG has continued to provide opportunities for professional discussion through our quarterly meetings and collaboration with colleagues across related organisations. These conversations are invaluable in helping us identify emerging priorities and ensuring our work remains relevant to clinicians working across a wide range of paediatric services.
This year also sees PAIG represented at the World Congress of Audiology (WCA) 2026, providing an opportunity to share developments from UK paediatric audiology and engage in discussion with international colleagues. Looking beyond this year’s congress, we have already begun asking ourselves an important question: Where do we want paediatric audiology to be by the time we reach WCA 2028? Answering that question will require collaboration and contributions from clinicians across our profession.
Finally, we’d like to encourage members to become involved with PAIG. Whether you have an interest in evidence review, writing guidance, contributing to consultations or simply sharing your clinical experience, there are many ways to support the work of the group. High-quality national guidance can only be developed by the profession, for the profession, and we are always keen to welcome new voices and perspectives.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to PAIG’s work over the past year. We look forward to sharing further updates as our current guidance progresses and to continuing to work with the paediatric audiology community to shape the future of our profession.
