Yes, they can. If you level a SPECIAL stat up to 10 at the start of the game, it is possible to boost it to 11 permanently by picking up its related bobblehead. While the effects of your SPECIAL stats do stack above rank 10, you do not gain access to any extra perks. Therefore, it is far more beneficial to never max out a stat at the start of the game instead of leveling it to 9. You can then collect its bobblehead to boost that to 10 while using the extra stat point to gain access to more perks.