As a foster mom to two children with severe Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), I urge you to get professional help asap. A good website about RAD is www.nancythomasparenting.org
It sounds to me like the little guy has RAD...there are parenting techniques that are particularly effective with kids that have RAD.
Good luck!
Anna
You are on the right track in seeking professional guidance. Arrange an evaluation with a pediatric mental health professional. The clinician can help to determine, from a diagnostic perspective, what is occurring, and can help you devise a plan for intervention. It is possible that you are witnessing the early signs of a mood disorder. It is also possible, in fact likely due to his history, that he displays an attachment disorder. This condition, which results essentially from inadequate parenting during the earliest years, manifests itself in difficulty establishing comfortable relationships with adults and peers, and in aggressive behavior and limited ability to manage strong affect, among other things. Now, with very young children, the greatest benefit from contact with mental health professionals often derives from the collaboartive efforts between the parents and the clinician, rather than from the face-to-face contact between the clinician and the child. Having said that, I think you may be too dismissive of the possible benefit of contact with the professional. Your characterization of the contact as 'sitting and playing games' is really not helpful. It's important to go into the consultation with an open mind and with some curiosity with the clinician about how the contact can be helpful.