I believe all kids in foster care will have some degree of attachment work needed, but I don't believe RAD is all that common at this age. Meaning, I see RAD at the end of a big spectrum of attachment levels and feel that it's less common to reach that end level. Possible? Of course. I also believe that if attachment and bonding parenting isn't done from the beginning, then a more severe attachment disorder and RAD can become more likely.
I do agree with the signs to look for and I also feel no matter what age your child is, you begin attachment type parenting asap. I don't necessarily agree that an attachment therapist is a must unless there are signs pointing to more severe attachment issues. (the history/background of the child really matters in this decision though)
I will tell you though that some of the hardest bonding work I did was with my youngest son who just turned 2 when the kids moved in. From the beginning, he was a very sad little boy, a big loner, didn't talk, etc. I knew he would need a lot of babying, cuddling and other types of bonding and nurturing techniques/parenting. I thought he'd be the easy one before they came to live with us and had been more prepared to work on the 5 & 4 year old. I learned though that all 4 of my kids had some degree of attachment bonding etc. I needed to do with them individually.
Hope that helps a bit, and just know as with anything, there are no two stories a like really! Every kid is so different and their backgrounds are full of missing pieces. So at times, it's really a big leap of faith and off you go.
