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Although Rad can be very scary, with the right education and treetment, Rad can be healed in most cases.
Also, many kids in care have attachment issues and the RAD type behaviors, but not true RAD. These children, with the right parenting and treetment can heal fairly quickly.
My advice to you is to get Nancy Thomas books and tapes on parenting, foster Clines, can this child be saved & parenting with love and logic. Keck's book Adopting the Hurt Child is good also.
It's important when taking an older child to have your understanding of issues and structure for parenting set up ahead of time.
When I take an older placement, I start with stricter rules and less stuff and add privledges as the child can handle them(some pretty quickly, and some very slowly). I would rather start with less then feel like I'm constantly taking something away from a child who's struggling.
I have parented kids with RAD and it can be a real a struggle, but for kids that heal, the blessings are worth it. I do have two children who have long term effects from RAD and I've had to adjust my expectations for them, but they're far better off then they were when we started and I still hold hope for more healing.
Education is the best advice as you'll be prepared and not caught off guard.
Also, for anyone adopting an older child, I recommend alarms of some sort on all the doors for at least the first year. This makes the kid feel safer because noone can sneak in on them, and it's safer for the family if the child has learned behavior that might harm others.
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