In Kerry Magro’s freshman year, he tried out for a point guard position on his high school’s junior varsity basketball team.

Basketball was his passion and he could not wait to play. Despite his autism — a condition that can make any social interaction scary — his love of the sport and encouragement by his parents brought him to the try-out.

But the try-out was extreme and the 230-pound freshman was so exhausted, “I just lay on the floor; I couldn’t move,” Magro told an audience of ninth and 10th grade Austin High School students on Monday.

The fact he tried out at all was a tribute to his parents, as well as his occupational, speech and physical therapists. Magro, 28, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was 4 years old.

Magro refocused his energies when he faced that failure.

“I lost 60 pounds over the summer, I grew three inches,” he said. “I spent six days a week on basketball. As a sophomore, I made the junior varsity team.”

Magro went on to play varsity, becoming captain in his senior year.

The story was just one highlight of Magro’s presentation at AHS, sponsored by the Peer Power Partners program, which allows students to partner with students with disabilities and provide friendship, academic collaboration and social interaction opportunities during the school day. Those experiences provide awareness that promotes social inclusion and a reduction in bullying incidents. October is Bullying Awareness Month.

Magro’s presentation provided students an opportunity to learn more about autism, said Mary Barinka, coordinator of the program. She helped to oversee a session with Magro and PPP students following the assembly, which took an in-depth look at autism. He also presented at Ellis Middle School during the afternoon and at the Hormel Historic Home Monday evening.

Magro worked to become a motivational speaker, film consultant, author, and head of his own nonprofit organization called KFM Making a Difference, which focuses on raising scholarship funds for college-bound autistic students.

It has been a long journey. He was non-verbal until he was 2 1/2 years old; at age 6, his parents were told he should probably be institutionalized. He would never be able to graduate from high school or work full time, they said.

His ability to meet the challenges of autism are a credit to his parents “who never gave up on me,” he said. They sought services that helped him manage his sensory issues. Autism affects the way the brain processes information. Hearing a loud noise, for instance, was akin to “one hundred bees stinging you at one moment in time,” he explained. However, he worked to manage his issues and even came to love music and the theater.

He understands bullying: “I never had a friend until I was a freshman” in high school. However, pursuing his love of basketball helped him make new friends. His love of basketball also brought him to a later career of interviewing sports, TV and film celebrities. In 2012, he was hired to be a consultant on the movie, “Joyful Noise,” starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton.

He urged students to be advocates for the autistic, by going to such websites of the Autism Speaks, Autism Society and National Autism Association. He also urged them to intervene if they see someone being bullied.

“Fifty percent of bullying stops when peers intervene,” he said. “We need to accept and unify ourselves so everyone feels they are accepted.”

Ninth grader Ellie Eyre, 14, found the session helpful, along with the “new ways to help those with autism  … and understanding what they go through.”

Matthew Boyer, 15, agreed. The ninth-grader said “I never gave it (autism) much thought; it opened my eyes to what I can do to help” a fellow student with autism.

“It’s cool knowing I can see this and I know what to do to help this person.”

Peer Power Partners is a collaborative of the Parenting Resource Center, Austin Public Schools and Vision 2020 Community Pride and Spirit, and is funded by the Hormel Foundation, Austin Public Education Foundation and private donations.