Anxiety, Working Memory, and Academic Achievement in Neurodivergent and Neurotypical Children: A Preliminary Study

Background/Objectives: Anxiety is highly prevalent amongst neurodivergent children, yet little research has examined how anxiety relates to academic achievement in neurodivergent students, nor how working memory, a key cognitive predictor of achievement, is concurrently associated across neurotypes. This cross-sectional study aimed to provide a preliminary investigation into the associations between anxiety, working memory and academic achievement in reading and mathematics in a sample of neurodivergent and neurotypical children. Understanding these relationships is important in both child mental health and educational contexts, as anxiety may influence how neurodivergent children engage with and perform on cognitive and achievement tasks. Methods: Forty-seven children aged 8–13 years completed the Working Memory Power Test (WMPT) and four subtests from the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition (WIAT-III). Parents completed the Anxiety Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASC-ASD). Group differences were examined, and whole-sample correlational and regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between anxiety, working memory, and academic achievement. Exploratory subgroup correlations were also examined. Results: Neurodivergent children (n = 18) scored higher than their neurotypical peers (n = 29) on the ASC-ASD; however, no significant differences were observed in working memory accuracy scores. Achievement scores did not differ significantly across groups, although autistic children showed lower average scores in Reading Comprehension. Whole-sample correlational and regression analyses did not detect statistically significant associations between anxiety and either working memory or achievement, although working memory showed positive associations with Reading Comprehension, Numerical Operations and Math Problem Solving (ρ = 0.34–0.53). Exploratory subgroup correlations did not remain significant after false discovery rate correction. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that ASC-ASD scores were not significantly associated with working memory or academic achievement in this sample, while working memory showed the expected links with several achievement domains. Larger studies are needed to clarify potential cognitive and affective contributors to academic outcomes for neurodivergent students, and to examine how environments and task demands may interact with affective factors to influence academic engagement and performance.