“She has been to Asia and many European countries before and has never wandered off or got lost,” Nora’s parents, Meabh and Sebastien, said in a statement.

They said Nora, who has some learning disabilities, is not like other teenagers. “She is not independent and does not go anywhere alone.”

Nora is also sensitive, they said. With strangers, she is shy and can be quite anxious.

She was also extremely excited about the family holiday in Malaysia, they added.

Nora went missing around 6.30am while staying at The Dusun Rainforest Resort in Negeri Sembilan on Aug 4. She came here with her family for a two-week holiday.

The family lodged a report after realising later that morning that she was no longer in her room.

More than 250 people are searching dense jungle and hilly terrain on foot and helicopter near the resort for her.

Nora’s parents, who originally did not want to speak to the media, described how Nora was born with holoprosencephaly, where the forebrain does not develop properly, and how she was like growing up.

“Nora is a very special person. She is fun, funny and extremely loving. With her family, she is very affectionate — the family is her whole world and she loves to play games, like Cat Bingo, with us.

“She likes to tell us silly jokes and wear clever, colourful T-shirts,” they added.

With holoprosencephaly, Nora grew up with a smaller-sized brain. When she was born, she needed operations to help with her breathing. She had spent a lot of time in hospital.

Coming from a bilingual and bicultural family, Nora is proud that she can speak French as well as English, her parents said. But her verbal communication skills are limited.

“Nora can read like a young child but she cannot write more than a few words. She has a good memory but she cannot understand anything conceptual.

“She is unable to do maths and so things like money are impossible to manage.

“She cannot make or receive phone calls independently,” they added. “She can wash and dress herself though she cannot manage buttons and struggles to wash her hair.”

The family, meanwhile, thanked the police and those searching for Nora.

“Some of these people have been working all day, every day, and the family cannot express their gratitude enough.”

Negeri Sembilan police chief Mohamad Mat Yusof has said the case is still classified as a missing persons case as no criminal element has been detected yet, squashing claims that Nora was kidnapped.

He also said investigations by a forensic team confirmed that Nora exited from the premises through the glass window in her room.

The teenager is believed to have left the resort in Jalan Pantai only in her undergarments, the last outfit she was seen sleeping in, according to earlier statements from her parents.