Dawn Maitland is still waiting to enjoy that treasured first smile from her two-year-old, Erin Horner, who suffers from Moebius Syndrome.

The rare condition has left the Belvoir tot with facial paralysis which means she cannot smile, squint, frown or move her eyes from side-to-side.

Dawn (36) spoke out about her daughter's case to the Belfast Telegraph in a bid to raise awareness of the little-known syndrome. She believes there are only three known cases in Northern Ireland.

Erin was just three weeks old when she was diagnosed with Moebius Syndrome. Doctors' concerns were first raised when she was born with a club foot and had problems sucking from a bottle, classic signs of the condition.

"Babies born with this condition can go on to lead relatively normal lives - some of them just hit their milestones a little bit later than normal," said the former civil servant.

"Erin does have a slight bit of movement in her face so I can tell from her eyes when she is smiling inside.

"Her eyes can't move from left to right and she can't squint which makes life difficult for her. She always has to wear a hat and sunglasses when she's outside on bright days. She can't protect herself, say, when the wind is blowing dust into her eyes. She can't squint or blink like the rest of us would to stop things getting into our eyes.

"I can tell when she happy because her face changes slightly and she makes happy little noises - but I'm still waiting for that first smile."

Erin's club foot has been improved with treatment but she may have to have surgery on it at some stage in the future to further improve it. She began walking at the age of 19 months.

"Other symptoms of the condition are low muscle tone and poor balance which meant she learned to walk a bit later," her mum explained.

"She has been slower to get to all her milestones but she gets there. She goes to speech therapy and has been doing really well. Her top lip can't move well enough to master words beginning with 'b' and 'p'. Hopefully that will come in time. But she can say 'mummy' and that is just beautiful to my ears."

The south Belfast woman described her only child as a "beautiful natured wee girl".

"I can't help but worry about her and how this will affect her life. But we're all very used to the impact this has on daily life now, I enjoy every minute with her."

Ms Maitland is a strong supporter of the Moebius Research Trust, a charity set up to raise £250,000 to go towards research into the condition - and to find 100 people with Moebius Syndrome in the UK who will assist with DNA testing.

She added: "I know of three people in Northern Ireland who have the syndrome but there may be more who aren't aware of the work of the research trust."

The mum is also supporting two Scotsmen who are attempting to ride motorbikes 2,913 miles across America - wearing kilts. They are hoping to raise the full sum required by the charity for research.

For further information, log on to moebiusresearchtrust.org or kiltsacrossamerica.co.uk