These terms are becoming part of everyday language, but what do these terms actually mean?
They are used interchangeably by many people, in fact that included me until fairly recently when I decided I wanted to fully understand the terminology. But in fact they’re quite different. So read on and let’s clear this up…
Neurodiversity: the big picture
This is an umbrella term which spans the whole spectrum, the big picture. Just as biodiversity means a mix of living things, neurodiversity means that human brains vary naturally, just like personalities or body types, a natural mix of different brains. It includes everyone – people who have ADHD, are autistic, dyslexic and neurotypical – it’s all part of human variety. There is no single “right” way for a brain to function.
Neurodivergence: describing an individual
This term refers to individual experience. A neurodivergent person has a brain that works differently from the ‘typical’ way. So they may have ADHD, autism, dyslexia or dyspraxia for example. The neurodivergence is the difference itself. Many women are discovering their neurodivergence later in life, often triggered by the challenges that hormonal shifts bring to the surface.
Neurotypical: the societal baseline
Someone who is neurotypical fits the most common or expected patterns of attention, communication and sensory processing. It doesn’t mean they’re ‘better’ or ‘normal’, just that the world was mostly designed with their style of thinking in mind.
Why these distinctions matter, especially during hormonal transitions such as menopause
Hormonal transitions such as perimenopause or menopause can intensify executive-function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, and sensory sensitivities. For neurodivergent women, these shifts can feel like their existing traits are suddenly ‘turned up.’ For women who didn’t identify as neurodivergent before, these same shifts can expose long-masked patterns. Suddenly, what was once manageable becomes exhausting, and this can spark new questions about one’s neurotype.
A last word
Recognising the difference between neurodiversity, neurodivergence and neurotypical thinking helps women understand what’s happening in their minds and bodies as hormones shift. Whether someone is formally diagnosed, self-identifying, or simply curious, these terms offer a framework for compassion, clarity, and better support during an already complex life stage.