Disorders of cortical development are a significant cause of epilepsy, developmental delay and congenital neurological deficits in children of all ages. Disruption of neuronal proliferation, differentiation, migration and organization during the middle trimester are recognized as the basis of most of these disorders. With advances in magnetic resonance imaging and increasing recognition of the characteristic radiological appearance of these lesions, a variety of lesions are now described. Furthermore, detailed clinical and genetic studies have lead to the recognition of clinicopathological syndromes of cortical maldevelopment with specific modes of inheritance. Our understanding of these disorders is increasing rapidly and will continue to do so with improvements in neuroimaging, advances in developmental neurobiology and heightened clinician awareness.