What are the four Principles of the ASHA Code of Ethics?

Principle I: responsibility to persons served, research participants, and animals. Principle II: responsibility for one's professional competence. Principle III: responsibility to the public. Principle IV: responsibility for professional relationships and adherence to professional standards.

What are ASHA Issues in Ethics statements?

Issues in Ethics (IIE) statements are ASHA Board of Ethics advisory documents that apply the Code to specific topics such as confidentiality, telepractice, supervision, social media, and client abandonment. They are guidance, not enforceable rules, but they heighten awareness of how the Board interprets the Code.

Can an SLP treat a client outside their scope of competence?

No. Principle II requires clinicians to practice only within their scope of competence, considering their education, training, and experience, and to pursue continuing education. Taking on a caseload area without the needed competence risks violating Principle I (welfare of persons served) as well.

How do I file an ethics complaint with ASHA?

Complaints go to ASHA's Board of Ethics following the procedures on asha.org. The Board only has jurisdiction over ASHA members and CCC holders; complaints about non-members go to the state licensure board instead.

Does the ASHA Code of Ethics cover telepractice?

Yes. The same principles apply in telepractice: clinicians must be competent in the delivery model, protect confidentiality across technology, meet licensure requirements in the client's state, and ensure telepractice is appropriate for the individual client.

Ethics Guides › Speech-Language Pathology / ASHA

What Is the ASHA Code of Ethics?

By the Ask Ethyl team · Reviewed against the official ASHA Code of Ethics (2023) · Updated July 2026

The ASHA Code of Ethics is the ethics framework of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, revised effective March 1, 2023. It binds ASHA members and CCC certificate holders and is organized into four Principles of Ethics — covering persons served, professional competence, the public, and professional relationships — each with enforceable Rules of Ethics.

Structure: 4 Principles of Ethics, each with lettered, enforceable Rules of Ethics.
Applies to ASHA members and all CCC-SLP / CCC-A holders — over 200,000 professionals per ASHA's membership counts.
Supported by a library of advisory "Issues in Ethics" statements on topics like confidentiality, telepractice, supervision, and social media.

What are the four Principles of Ethics?

Principle	Responsibility to	Typical issues
Principle I	Persons served, research participants, animals	Welfare, informed consent, confidentiality, abandonment, discrimination
Principle II	Your own professional competence	Scope of competence, continuing education, delegation, supervision adequacy
Principle III	The public	Honest public statements, misrepresentation, conflicts of interest
Principle IV	Colleagues and the professions	Reporting violations, reference accuracy, harassment, research integrity

Who enforces the ASHA Code of Ethics?

ASHA's Board of Ethics adjudicates complaints against members and certificate holders. Sanctions include reprimand, censure, suspension, or revocation of membership and the CCC. Because most states license SLPs separately, state boards can also discipline a license using their own (often ASHA-derived) ethics rules — a clinician can face both processes for the same conduct.

What are Issues in Ethics statements?

Issues in Ethics (IIE) statements are the Board of Ethics' advisory interpretations of the Code applied to concrete topics: confidentiality, telepractice, client abandonment, supervision of students and CFs, social media, private practice, and more. They are not enforceable rules, but they show how the Board reasons — which makes them the best available signal of how a scenario would be evaluated.

Common questions

What is the ASHA Code of Ethics?: The ASHA Code of Ethics is the ethics framework of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, most recently revised effective March 1, 2023. It applies to ASHA members and CCC certificate holders (CCC-SLP and CCC-A) and is organized into four Principles of Ethics, each with enforceable Rules of Ethics.
What are the four Principles of the ASHA Code of Ethics?: Principle I: responsibility to persons served, research participants, and animals. Principle II: responsibility for one's professional competence. Principle III: responsibility to the public. Principle IV: responsibility for professional relationships and adherence to professional standards.
What are ASHA Issues in Ethics statements?: Issues in Ethics (IIE) statements are ASHA Board of Ethics advisory documents that apply the Code to specific topics such as confidentiality, telepractice, supervision, social media, and client abandonment. They are guidance, not enforceable rules, but they heighten awareness of how the Board interprets the Code.
Can an SLP treat a client outside their scope of competence?: No. Principle II requires clinicians to practice only within their scope of competence, considering their education, training, and experience, and to pursue continuing education. Taking on a caseload area without the needed competence risks violating Principle I (welfare of persons served) as well.
How do I file an ethics complaint with ASHA?: Complaints go to ASHA's Board of Ethics following the procedures on asha.org. The Board only has jurisdiction over ASHA members and CCC holders; complaints about non-members go to the state licensure board instead.
Does the ASHA Code of Ethics cover telepractice?: Yes. The same principles apply in telepractice: clinicians must be competent in the delivery model, protect confidentiality across technology, meet licensure requirements in the client's state, and ensure telepractice is appropriate for the individual client.

Sources

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