Information currently available on the etiology of cerebral palsy is reviewed. Research findings from three sources, animal data, fetal movement analyses, and clinical studies, suggest that prenatal factors may play a more important role in the etiology of cerebral palsy than previously thought. Implications for physical and occupational therapists, in terms of new roles therapists may assume in the future, are discussed. New challenges may be found in standardizing measures of motor development, analyzing fetal motor patterns and contributing to the primary prevention of motor dysfunction.