Cardinal Mooney High School's Courtney Astore did most of the research for her project from her home in Lakewood Ranch. Astore earned the right to present her research on learning disabilities at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, after being named one of two overall winners of the 2014 Regional Science Fair. 'Feb. 27, 2014) (Herald-Tribune staff photo by Dan Wagner)

Courtney Alexandria Astore struggles with a learning disability that often forces her to reread the same page of a textbook several times before she grasps the meaning.

But that disability has not stopped her from becoming one of the most accomplished budding scientists in the area.

For the second straight year, Astore, 17 and a junior at Cardinal Mooney High School, will be competing at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for the second time.

It is rarefied company: Only 1,700 students are selected. The fair takes place in May in Los Angeles and Astore will be competing for $4 million in prize money.

If you give her a challenge she'll make it happen, said Jon Astore, Courtney's father. She sets goals for her own competition.

Astore suffers from two complex disorders, one that makes it difficult to distinguish subtle differences in words, the other with how her senses process information. The challenge she faces inspired her early interest in behavioral science.

I still have to work so much harder than my peers, I have to read things over and over again just to understand them, she said. But you work with what you have and learn to deal with it, which is basically the goal for anybody with any kind of diagnosis.

Motivated by her own struggles, Astore has channeled her research into children affected by autism.

From observing autistic children, Astore devoted her eighth-grade science project to figuring out how to regulate their senses so they would not chew at things. She created a shirt with a removable bib with sensory tools to help regulate their oral sensitivities.

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Budding scientist's project focuses on autism