Journal of Attention Disorders, Ahead of Print.
Background:Despite well-established Evidence-Based Treatments (EBTs) for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), many low-resource settings lack EBT access.Methods:We conducted a school-clustered randomized controlled pilot of CLS-FUERTE (a multicomponent behavioral EBT adapted for children in Mexico) with 58 students. We randomly assigned four schools to receive CLS-FUERTE and four to receive school services as usual. We compared groups post-treatment on parent- and teacher-rated ADHD/ODD symptoms and impairment.Results:CLS-FUERTE fidelity, attendance, engagement, and acceptability was high and students receiving CLS-FUERTE showed greater improvement in teacher-rated ADHD, ODD, and impairment, as well as parent-rated ADHD and impairment, compared to students receiving usual services.Conclusions:Pilot results suggest that psychosocial EBTs can be successfully implemented by School Mental Health Providers in Mexico.