A simple description of how cerebral palsy occurs is as follows:

At some point very early in life, either while a baby is still growing in the womb, during birth or shortly after, something happens to interfere with the normal development of the brain or to injure the brain tissues. This abnormal development or injury then disrupts the nerve signals between the brain and the muscles, leading to problems with movement, posture and co-ordination as the child grows up. This is called cerebral palsy. While some people are severely affected, others have only minor disruption, depending on which parts of the brain are not functioning properly. According to statistics from BBC health, it’s estimated that as many as 1 in every 400 children may have cerebral palsy, which means nearly 2000 babies, from all social backgrounds and ethnic groups, are diagnosed every year.