Actor,Colin Farrell, says his son, who's been diagnosed with a rare neuro-genetic disorder, is "exactly the way he should be."

"He's nothing but a gift," Farrell, 31, said about son James on the Irish interview show Tubridy Tonight. "As far as I'm concerned he's exactly the way he should be."

Four-year-old James was diagnosed Angelman Syndrome. "Angelman's is a neuro-genetic disorder," Farrell explained. "The 15th chromosome is dormant. It affects their fine motor skills. They say that one in 30,000 children is affected by it."

According to his father, before James had celebrated his first birthday, he was showing signs of illness, which led to an early diagnosis for the boy. But Farrell questions the concept of 'normal,' observing that James is happier than most people. 

"I look around and I see people who move perfectly, who walk with grace, who speak with great diction and clarity and a great use of the English language and we're all miserable ******** – including me, at times. And then I see this fella who doesn't move the way what's perceived to be 'normal' is, and he's as happy as can be."

The genetic disorder, which can impair speech, movement and balance, meant that James walked his first few steps last fall, when he was 4. "It's just different," said the actor. "It's not different to me. He has his own path. He's just brilliant," Farrell says. The actor shares custody of his son with the boy's mother, model Kim Bordenave.

[PEOPLE]