I think it just got easier.
There's one more obscure special rule I had forgotten: You may claim EIC on a child who is not your dependent, if the only reason, for not being a dependent, is that he was self supporting. You will get the EIC (closer to $1050, rather than $900) even if he claims himself.
It appears that the family will come out ahead by about $1800 if you do NOT claim him as a dependent, but do claim him for EIC. The TurboTax software can handle this situation.
