The gifted child: stubborn, committed to justice, empathic, intense, and the list goes on. Without thoughtful instructional support, these endearing (and not so endearing) gifted traits can transform into obstacles to achievement. Examining peer-reviewed literature and organizing gifted characteristics at the autonomous, relational, and operational levels, attendees gain a developmental understanding of the affective needs of the highly gifted child. Participants also explore how they can integrate an affective scope and sequence into their current curriculum in order to support the needs of the whole gifted child.