A parent screening instrument (PSILD) aimed to identify learning and behaviour difficulties at school entry. Another objective was to cover the heterogeneity of developmental psychopathology from birth to five years. Sub-scales included Demographic, Genetic, Pregnancy, Birth, Illnesses, Speech-Language, Motor, Resilience, Behaviour (Withdrawal, Anxiety, Conduct-Oppositional Disorder, Hyperactivity, Attention) and Preschool Attainment (170 items, completion time 12.7 minutes). Content validity was established by factor analysis and item to total score correlations. Reliability was .83 for both test-retest and internal consistency. At nine months PSILD demographic, genetic, pregnancy, withdrawal and preschool sub-scales and a child letter identification test explained 57 percent of the variance, in the prediction of word reading after two years (N = 215, R = .76; hit rate = 91.2%; odds ratio = 12.6 p<.0001). Parent and teacher prediction levels were equivalent. At school entry, standardized computer scored feedback provided an educational risk level (1-9 scale) based on the total PSILD score, and a 1-3 risk scale for each sub-scale except for the confidential demographic and biological areas. Pervasive behavioural feedback was given after nine months by comparing the PSILD and PRSR Behaviour sub-scales (r = .25). These early identification procedures provided for parent-teacher referrals to health, welfare, behavioural, language and movement agencies and for information to refine classroom strategies in the first school year. Longitudinal research on PSILD should investigate its potential to predict behavioural and psychiatric concerns in adolescence.