Social information processing, normative beliefs about aggression and parenting in children with mild intellectual disabilities and aggressive behavior.

van Cappellen et al. (2023) asked one clear question. Do kids with mild intellectual disability hit more because they think hitting is normal?

They visited special schools and gave short questionnaires to students and teachers. Teachers rated each child’s aggression. Students answered questions about when it is okay to hit or push.

The team also tested how kids read social cues. They looked at whether beliefs and cue-reading together predict teacher-reported aggression.

Children who said hitting is “sometimes okay” were rated as more aggressive by teachers.

The link worked like a chain. Beliefs shaped social cue-reading, and cue-reading shaped aggression. Changing beliefs may break the chain.

Davies et al. (2014) warned not to treat aggression as a sign of hidden depression in ID. Marjolein’s team agree; they show aggression is tied to learned beliefs, not mood.

Pavlović et al. (2013) found teachers rate more aggression than students admit. The new study used only teacher ratings, so real numbers may be higher than students report.

Edgin et al. (2017) showed anxious kids with mild ID read social cues negatively. Marjolein adds that kids who think aggression is normal also read cues in a biased way. Both papers point to the same takeaway: teach kids to interpret social situations more carefully.

You can add a quick belief check to your functional assessment. Ask, “When is it okay to hit?” If the child answers loosely, add belief training to the behavior plan. Replace “hitting is okay when mad” with “ask for help when mad.” One five-minute lesson may save weeks of crisis management.