Learners with moderate intellectual disabilities (MID) are a cohort of learners whose high
levels of aggressive behaviour make teaching in schools a challenging task. These learners
have an average intelligence quotient (IQ) of between 55 and 70 and their intellectual
development is almost two to eight years behind their peers without MID. Learners with MID
have difficulty in applying their knowledge and have poor verbal, language, reading and
mathematical skills. Learners such as these also present with short memory and attention
span, are hyperactive and impulsive, misinterpret non-verbal messages, and get easily
frustrated and irritated. These learners are four times more likely to develop aggressive
behaviour, which leads to certain challenges for teachers and other persons concerned. The
primary goal of this article was to determine whether the parental practices of the parents of
these learners were causative to their aggressive behaviour. Underlying the primary goal, the
following secondary research objectives were set: (1) To determine which accumulative systemic
factors contribute to the aggressive behaviour of learners with MID; (2) To determine the
specific triggers that lead to the aggressive behaviour of such learners; and (3) To determine
the specific parental practices that can be identified that lead to the aggressive behaviour of
these learners. For the purpose of the empirical part of this article, a phenomenology approach
and a qualitative research design were used. Fifteen learners with MID and aggressive
behaviour were studied in-depth through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and
observation. The main findings of the study show that all the participants in this study came
from problematic families and that their aggressive behaviour was only a symptom of underlying
problems. These underlying problems were an unfortunate combination of negative parental
practices, emotional neglect and a lack of skills to deal with challenges.
Negative parental practices included: aggressive, uninvolved, authoritarian and/or
permissive parents who did not communicate with their children and who showed little or no
support, sympathy, understanding and empathy towards their offspring. All the participants
experienced their parents as uninvolved, emotionally, and sometimes physically absent, from
their lives. Due to the parents’ lack of involvement, there was little or no communication
between the participants and their parents. The parents did not respond to their needs and
there was no support or assistance for these participants to overcome difficult or traumatic
experiences in their lives. The learners were left with the perception that their parents were
emotionally and physically absent, which led to a feeling of emotional neglect, rejection, loss
and inadequate support. The example set for these participants in their parents’ homes was
that aggressive behaviour was the norm in dealing with disputes and problems in interpersonal
relationships. Their parents showed little or no self-control and poor conflict handling.
Accumulative negative factors such as disintegrated families, problematic attachment and
rejection were causative contributors to their aggressive behaviour. The majority of the
participants’ families had disintegrated due to divorce, death of a parent or they were removed
and placed in a place of safety. The participants lacked a stable home where they could feel
safe and loved. The majority of the participants also had poor attachment with their mothers.
There was no trust, empathy, support and they felt that they could not rely on their mothers
for help, advice, accompaniment and protection. These learners were not supported adequately
to deal with these challenges. They had to overcome challenges by themselves and they were
left with unresolved emotions. The accumulation of these various negative factors in the
participants’ lives was the primary trigger for their aggressive behaviour at school. Put differently, the primary trigger may therefore be described as problematic conditions within
the family, which the participants were unable to process due to their limitations – a state of
affairs that ultimately manifested as aggressive behaviour at school.
Leerlinge met matige intellektuele disfunksie (MID) is ’n kohort leerlinge wie se hoë
aggressievlakke onderrig in skole ernstig bemoeilik. Dergelike leerlinge het ’n gemiddelde
intelligensiekwosiënt (IK) van 55 tot 70 en, vergeleke met leerlinge sonder MID, het hul ’n
agterstand in verstandelike ontwikkeling van twee tot agt jaar. Hierdie leerlinge het ’n vier
keer hoër risiko om aggressiewe gedragsuitvalle te openbaar, wat vir onderwysers en
belanghebbendes groot uitdagings bied. Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal of, en
indien wel, in watter mate, die ouerskapspraktyke van die ouers van dergelike leerlinge bydra
tot hulle aggressiewe gedragsuitvalle. Die hoofbevinding van hierdie studie is dat die
aggressiewe gedragsuitvalle in die skool ’n simptoom is van dieperliggende probleme, wat
die gevolg is van ’n sameloop van negatiewe ouerskapspraktyke, emosionele verwaarlosing
en ingeperkte vermoëns van leerlinge met MID om uitdagings toepaslik te hanteer. Negatiewe
ouerskapspraktyke het die volgende ingesluit: aggressiewe gedrag, onbetrokkenheid,
permissiewe praktyke, gebrekkige kommunikasie en inkonsekwente dissipline met min
ondersteuning, warmte en empatie. Die leerlinge het gevoel dat hulle ouers emosioneel en
fisies afwesig was, wat gelei het tot ’n gevoel van emosionele verwaarlosing, verwerping,
verlies en ’n gebrek aan ondersteuning. Opeengestapelde (“accumulative”) negatiewe faktore
soos gesinsverbrokkeling en problematiese binding het ook bygedra tot hulle aggressiewe
gedragsuitvalle. Hierdie leerlinge het nie die ondersteuning gehad om uitdagende gebeure te
verwerk nie – hulle moes dit self verwerk en is met onverwerkte emosies aan hul lot oorgelaat.
