Perhaps this is an example of how the written word doesn't always manage to convey the true essence of a dialogue. I must admit that I agree in general with Goblinchild, that I didn't read any humour in the OP. I read irritation and scepticism, then later, an impression that 'SN parents' were being lumped together needlessly.
My take on it is that at least this LA is trying to make sure that we as parents are catered for, and that we can identify easily childminders who have extra knowledge of the field.
It's a bit like the promotion of racial equality, isn't it? In an ideal world, we would be able to say 'well black/asian/chinese/indian/pakistani people aren't any different in my eyes, so I'll treat them just the same as the white british/american/canadian people I deal with'. Unfortunately, society has dealt so badly with those people groups in the past, that to get any sort of equality, there are times when they have to make specific efforts to reach out to them, and redress the balance by positive action.
I see this sort of course as the same thing. Ideally, you could say 'I treat all parents of children with SN as I do parents of children without SN', but the reality, is that it is different, we do have different needs, and we do have additional needs.
We make assumptions, all of us every day. We start thinking that what we see on a regular basis is always so, and can act out of reflex, rather than conscious thought. A prime example, of which I will always carry regret and shame, is when I was nursing, before I was pregnant with DD1.
I was a recovery nurse, and we dealt with neurosurgery. The team operated on a young person (please forgive vague terms, confidentiality) and we received them into the unit. I phoned the ward the YP came from to inform them that the YP was out of surgery. I gave my usual blurb. Not because it was old to me, but because generally speaking, there are certain things that are signs of a positive outcome, and you tend to get a 'patter' of language. I reeled off the good news, blah, blah. But then the nurse the other side, repeated one thing I said, and said 'are you sure'? That's fantastic!! I had, in my 'patter' referred to a vital reflex, that is almost always present in a living, breathing, individual, and absence of it is almost always (with notable exceptions) an indicator of death. This YP was one of those 'notable exceptions' and I had said that the reflex was present. It wasn't. It hadn't been before surgery, and wasn't likely to be for quite some time, if ever, in the future.
If there was a hole, I would have jumped. Even now, the feeling is quite overwhelming that in my carelessness, I flooded a family with hope, and then stripped it away, all in a matter of seconds. Much worse than if I hadn't said it in the first place. A mistake.
I suppose what I am saying is that no matter how experienced, how many parents one may have dealt with in the past with SN, how wonderful a carer of children may be, the children and parents are individuals, who may need a different approach from all the others. If you can gleam one tiny little thing from the course, I think that will be a good thing. Even if it is a 'waste' of 5-6 hours, you will be able to enlighten a less experienced carer on the course.