**1. Introduction**

The accurate identification and understanding of the actual causes (aetiology) of cerebral palsy (CP), timing of insults, the causal pathways, mechanisms and "hows" and "whys" (pathophysiology/neuropathological correlations) are critical to the development of both prevention strategies and a holistic or standardized classification of CP [1, 2]. However, it has remained a challenge to identify the non-progressive disturbances or events and causal pathways/processes that led to the damage to the developing motor system in the foetal/infant brain since most of these factors are antenatal in timing [1, 3]. Though there are significant contributions from recent advances in neuroimaging to our understanding of the aetiology and pathology of CP and timing of insults, there are still limitations and these have debarred the emergence of a comprehensive neuropathologic classification of CP [1, 2, 4].

It is obvious that CP is not a single disorder/disease but a group of aetiologically heterogeneous disorders. This implies the aetiology is multifactorial and the causal mechanisms multiple and complex [1, 5]. Thus, various aetiological/risk factors act through multiple pathways to damage the developing motor system resulting in variable phenotypes (clinical subtypes of CP) that have common denominators: abnormal pattern of posture and/or movement and presence of accompanying impairments. Therefore, in simplistic terms, a plethora of factors acting at different times and more commonly in combination interfere with brain development or specifically increase the risk of damage to the developing motor system in the brain (CP).
