ASHA clinical specialty certification: Board Certified Specialist (BCS)
ASHA recognizes independent Specialty Certification Boards that award the Board Certified Specialist (BCS) designation to ASHA-certified clinicians. ASHA lists five boards, four of them in speech-language pathology areas and one in audiology. Applicants must already hold the CCC. ASHA states that specialty certification is not required to practice in any area of the audiology or speech-language pathology scopes of practice.
Quoted from official pages checked November 10, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
What it is
ASHA’s Clinical Specialty Certification page, checked November 10, 2026, states: “Clinical Specialty Certification enables a professional who demonstrates advanced knowledge, skills, and experience in a specified area of practice to be formally identified as a Board Certified Specialist (BCS) in that area of practice.” It also states: “Specialty certification is not required to practice in any area within the Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology Scopes of Practice.”
On who runs it, the page states: “ASHA formally recognizes independent Specialty Certification Boards who have met the criteria outlined by the Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC).” And: “Each Specialty Certification Board is also responsible for implementing its specialty certification program, including reviewing individual applications and awarding Board Certified Specialist (BCS) status to qualified applicants.”
Current specialty boards ASHA lists
The page states that specialty certification “is currently available through” these boards (links as ASHA lists them; the boards’ own sites were not read for this page):
- American Audiology Board of Intraoperative Monitoring
- American Board of Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- American Board of Child Language and Language Disorders
- American Board of Fluency and Fluency Disorders
- American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
The first is an audiology board. The other four cover augmentative and alternative communication, child language, fluency, and swallowing. ASHA’s establishing a specialty area page also lists Voice and Upper Airway Disorders as accepted and in process, stating: “The ABVUAD is in the final stages of developing their Board Certified Specialist credential.” It is not yet listed among the current boards, so it is not counted here. That page also states: “No petitioning groups are in Stage 1 at this time.”
How to apply
ASHA’s specialty page states: “Visit each board's website for application instructions.” It continues:
In addition to holding ASHA’s CCC, applicants must meet experiential requirements, demonstrate clinical expertise, and have completed continuing education in the area of specialization. A standard exam, portfolio review, practical exam, or structured interview must be passed to assess the applicant’s knowledge, skills, and experience in the specialty area.
It also states: “For specific questions about how to apply for specialty certification, please contact the specialty certification board directly.”
ASHA’s minimum standards for specialty programs
ASHA’s establishing page lists the specialty certification standards a proposed board’s program must comply with. They are minimums for board programs; each board sets its own application requirements. As written on that page:
- “Individual practitioners must currently hold the appropriate ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC).”
- Post-certification experience: “A minimum of three years (or full-time equivalent) with evidence of work with clinical populations in the area of specialty certification that is sought.”
- Clinical experience: “Documented evidence of a minimum of 450 hours of direct clinical contact in the area of specialization.”
- Continuing education: “A minimum of 60 intermediate or advanced continuing education/ professional development hours in the area of specialty certification in the immediate 3 years prior to applying.”
- Assessment: “Each applicant must pass the assessment mechanism (e.g., standard examination, portfolio review, practical exam, structured interview) that the specific Specialty Certification Board has established, based upon results of their extensive practice analysis study.”
Keeping it
ASHA’s specialty page states: “Each Specialty Certification Board outlines certification maintenance requirements that must be fulfilled to renew your credential.” And: “Specialty certification status can be revoked, if necessary, in accordance with each board's specified policies and procedures.” BCS maintenance is separate from CCC-SLP maintenance and from a state license.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy
The physical therapy counterpart is ABPTS board certification; see specialties for the official list and how to become an ABPTS specialist for the process. For occupational therapy, AOTA’s Board Certification program is described on AOTA Advanced Certification.