On the surface, Adalind Judd looks like a typical rosy-cheeked one-year-old.

But the toddler is one of only 30 or so babies across Australia suffering from the extremely rare condition known as "infantile spasms".

The condition, officially called West's Syndrome, is a form of epilepsy that makes babies' bodies jerk uncontrollably, commonly beginning when they are four to five months old and set off when they wake up and fall asleep.

Babies with the condition suffer from hypsarrhythmia, clusters of spasms in uncontrolled bursts.

In Adalind's case, they occur up to four times a day, lasting around eight minutes.

View photos Adalind Judd, pictured with here mother Sherrie, suffers from an extremely rare form of epilepsy. Source: Supplied More

The condition is so rare, sufferers often endure months without diagnosis or treatment. Failure to spot the condition early can lead to permanent brain damage.

Adalind's aunt, Kursty Colemane, revealed to Yahoo7 the daily ordeal her niece goes through.

"When it first occurred, she had absolutely no control of her body," she said.

"The medication she goes on has so many adverse effects she doesn’t sleep days on end and she is left screaming constantly."

View photos Adalind, like other sufferers of West's Syndrome, are prone to spasms before and after sleeping. Source: Supplied More

A range of drugs are used to control the twitches, but it leaves them with what Kursty calls "roid rage" among other side-effects including considerable weight gain.

Luckily for Adalind, her diagnosis came when she was a few months old at Melbourne hospital. Her parents noticed a strange twitching while shopping.

The medical team knew straight away what the condition was after coming across the disorder previously, but others aren't as fortunate.

"Only a few families are affected," Adalind's mother Sherrie told Yahoo7, "meaning there's no advocates in its prevention and certainly no funding and awareness therefore most doctors haven't seen it."

View photos Adalind's family have struggled to keep up with the escalating medical costs. Source: Supplied More

Story continues