What exactly makes some children susceptible to such brain damage is often unknown but it is believed that cerebral palsy may be the result of causal pathways, or chains of events that cause or increase the likelihood of brain injury. Most of the time, children are born with the brain damage resulting in spastic cerebral palsy, but a small percentage experience the damage shortly after birth following a stroke, head injury, or infection.The following are types of brain damage that can result in spastic cerebral palsy:

cerebral dysgenesis
periventricular leukomalacia
brain bleeds
Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy

Risk factors
The following medical conditions are associated with increased likelihood of spastic cerebral palsy, as well as with other types of cerebral palsy:

Preterm birth/low birthweight
Multiple births
Incompatible blood type between mother and fetus
Exposure to toxins
Complicated labor

Diagnosis
There is no single test to diagnose spastic cerebral palsy. It is typically diagnosed by age 2, though milder cases may go undetected for a longer time. A doctor will typically use a series of tests to assess developmental progress in growth, muscle control, coordination, vision, hearing, and posture. Continuous loss of motor skills likely indicates a condition other than spastic CP such as a genetic muscle disease Some metabolic disorders mimic spastic cerebral palsy and can be ruled out using a Magnetic resonance imaging test (MRI).Some tests to assess a child suspected to have spastic cerebral palsy are:

Cranial ultrasound
CT scan
Magnetic resonance imagingThese tests are imaging techniques used to produce pictures of the brain and to examine them for areas of damage that indicate a diagnosis of spastic cerebral palsy.
Spastic cerebral palsy is the type of cerebral palsy characterized by spasticity or high muscle tone often resulting in stiff, jerky movements. Cases of spastic CP are further classified according to the part or parts of the body that are most affected. Such classifications include spastic diplegia, spastic hemiplegia, spastic quadriplegia, and in cases of single limb involvement, spastic monoplegia.Spastic cerebral palsy affects the motor cortex of the brain, a specific portion of the cerebral cortex responsible for the planning and completion of voluntary movement. Spastic CP is the most common type of overall cerebral palsy, representing roughly 80% of cases. Spastic CP is a permanent condition and will affect an individual across the lifespan. The brain injury that causes spastic CP remains stable over time, but the way spasticity affects a person can change. For example, with age they may develop bone deformities from the pull of spastic muscles, muscular deterioration, and loss of range of motion in a joint. Thus, individuals with spastic CP often have different support needs with time. Signs and symptoms
People with the spastic type of CP typically have muscles that are "tight" or stiff due to high muscle tone. Symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy vary as the disability can affect individuals differently. However, they typically appear in infancy and early childhood and most children are diagnosed in the first two years of life. The main indicator of spastic cerebral palsy is a delay in reaching motor milestones.