Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive disorder of the brain that occurs in a growing child.
It could also happen from head injury in a child, or from infection like encephalitis or meningitis. When the brain cells controlling muscle tone and strength are damaged, changes occur to the muscles. With growth of the child, these changes in the muscles affect skeletal and joint development. But the musculoskeletal system is always affected to some degree. In the first year of life, the infant may present as a floppy baby, but with further growth, the muscles often become spastic.