What if a single conversation could change the trajectory of a person’s life? For Sara Haboubi, that moment came in 2002 when she experienced a 30-minute NLP session that unravelled a belief she’d unconsciously carried for 16 years — that being smart was unsafe. This hidden decision, made at age 15 to avoid bullying, unknowingly derailed her academic journey and planted seeds of self-doubt for years to come.

But it also sparked something else: a relentless drive to help others avoid the same fate.

Fast forward two decades, and Sara has trained over 80 schools in her ground-breaking Jumpstarting Word and Number Skills for Educators process — a neuro-inclusive visual learning approach that is now changing the lives of students and teachers across the globe.

Born from a fusion of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and the innovative insights of dyslexic author Olive Hickmott, Jumpstarting focuses on two overlooked yet crucial elements: helping students enter an optimal emotional state for learning and training them to use mental imagery to grasp words and numbers. The result? Students once labelled as “behind” or “unable” begin thriving in classrooms — often within minutes.

Recently, a six month project with a British curriculum school in Karachi, the impact was both measurable and remarkable:

• Word Skills: Spelling accuracy jumped 30–70%, sentence construction improved, and students gained up to a year in reading fluency.
•  Number Skills: Maths accuracy rose 50–70%, with fewer number reversals and more confident problem-solving using visual strategies.
• Classroom Engagement: Over 80% of participating students showed greater confidence, reduced anxiety, and more active participation.
• Homework: Parents reported reduced stress, more independence, and a newfound willingness to complete tasks at home.

All of this, from what seems like a small shift — but one with a big ripple effect.

For HR leaders, policymakers, and educational reformers, the implications are profound. The Jumpstarting process doesn’t just improve academic performance; it empowers students to believe in themselves, equipping them with skills that serve them long beyond the classroom. It also enables teachers to reach neurodiverse learners in a way that feels inclusive, effective, and deeply rewarding.

Sara’s dream is bold yet achievable: for every educator to be trained in this process so no student has to be labelled or left behind simply because they learn differently. And she believes Dubai is uniquely positioned to lead this movement. With its pioneering inclusion policies, commitment to innovation, and a government championing opportunities for People of Determination, the UAE is fertile ground for scaling neuro-inclusive education that delivers real, lasting change.

In Sara’s words: “Rather than treating dyslexia and other learning differences as problems, we can teach differently — so every student can learn successfully.”

It started with one question, one conversation, and one decision to see things differently. That’s all it takes to spark transformation — in a student, a classroom, or an entire education system.

Because sometimes, a small step really does make the biggest difference.

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