If your grandchild only wishes to go to one place repetitively, try taking him there first for a few minutes. He may be more receptive about visiting other places after that.

Take walks together in local parks. Feed ducks, explore gardens and enjoy other park features.

Orange County, California, has several parks for special needs children. Follow these links for additional information:

• Courtney’s SandCastle in San Clemente
• Box Canyon Park in Yorba Linda
• Pittsford Park in Lake Forest
• Angel’s Playground in TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa
• Heritage Park in Irvine (accessible features)
• Northwood Community Park in Irvine (accessible features)
• Kiwanis Barrier-Free Park in Carl Thornton Park, Santa Ana
• Link to Los Angeles Universally Accessible Playground List

The head naturalist at Naturalist For You leads many local Orange County hikes. He has experience working with special needs kids and is willing to lead a hike if there is sufficient interest. He has suggestedthat a couple of short canyon hikes (Silverado and Black Star) would be most appropriate and that a small group would be best.

If you are interested in having your grandchildren participate in this activity, please e-mail to Donna Furon at donnafuron@dslextreme.com or call (562)430-0624 with the following information:

• Age(s) of child(ren)
• Number of adults who would be coming
• Preferences for weekday or weekend
• Â Preference for morning or afternoon

Look for local children’s museums or exhibits that allow children to explore them. In Orange County you can visit the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, http://www.discoverycube.org/?gclid=COGO7a3n7qwCFUWMtgodigzI9A, Pretend City in Irvine, http://pretendcity.org/ and Museo in Anaheim, http://www.muzeo.org/home.php. For additional listings of local attractions for special needs children, please go to our other website, Family Autism Network, www.faninfo.org.