Just a bit of advice from someone who has a ds1 now 10yrs old and still this happens. After 5 yrs of worrying he was Diagnosed with RAS reflex anoxic seizures. I used to think he was breath holding etc but after a lot of research this is what I have found out about RAS.
A reflex anoxic seizure is a type of fit triggered by a temporary cutting off of the supply of blood to the brain.
It is not epilepsy, and is different from breath-holding attacks.
A reflex anoxic seizure can be induced by any unexpected stimuli such as pain, fear or fright, or even by a very hot or cold bath.
The trigger factor causes the heart to stop or slow down dramatically, which in turn reduces the flow of blood to the brain.
The child goes limp, falls down and becomes very pale. The body may stiffen and there may be jerking movements of the arms and legs.
After a short while the blood flow to the brain is restored and the child rapidly returns to normal although they may sleep for some time afterwards. I generally find DS1 sleeps for about an hour and is then fine.
Although parents often say their child looks as if they have died during an attack, I have never heard of the condition causing death. And I now know a lot of people whose children have this, although it is quite rare. 8 out of 1000 preschoolers.
Often no treatment is required, but some studies have suggested that the drug atropine is effective in reducing the frequency of the attacks.
Thankfully, reflex anoxic seizures usually get less frequent and eventually stop during childhood. Occasionally the attacks persist into early adult life.
Hope this helps everyone, because what is often mistaken for passing out through holding breath or having a tantrum or attention seeking can be RAS. Yes it is scarey but you do learn to deal with it. WIth ds1 it is pain that causes his and the way we deal with it is we talk whatever nonsense comes to mind.